Bertie2's Personal Name List

Variant of Jacinta.

Means "honey moon" in Tupi, from îasy "moon" and yra "honey".

Feminine form of Jacob.

Feminine diminutive of Jacques.

Cornish form of Jacob.

Means "world" in Persian. This name was borne by Shah Jahan, a 17th-century Mughal emperor who is best known as the builder of the Taj Mahal.

From Persian جهان (jahān) meaning "world" and آرا (ārā) meaning "decorate, adorn". This was the name of the eldest daughter of the 17th-century Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

Persian form of Avestan 𐬫𐬌𐬨𐬀 (Yima) meaning "twin" (related to Sanskrit Yama). This was the name of a mythological king, more commonly called Jamshid.

Modern Persian form of Avestan 𐬫𐬌𐬨𐬀⸱𐬑𐬱𐬀𐬉𐬙𐬀 (Yima Xshaēta), which meant "shining Jam". This was the name of a mythological king of Persia who ruled during a golden age. He is known as either Jamshid or Jam, where Jamshid is a combination of his original name and an honorific.

Variant of Iemanjá.

Latinate form of Jeannine.

Dutch feminine form of Jan 1.

Scandinavian feminine diminutive of Jan 1, from Low German.

Frisian form of Jacob (or James).

Dutch form of Jasmine.

Form of Jasmine in several languages.

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

Modern form of Jayadeva.

Southern Indian form of Jayanti.

Means "goddess of victory", derived from Sanskrit जय (jaya) meaning "victory" and the honorific श्री (śrī).

Variant of Jane.

French diminutive of Jeanne.

Combination of Jean 1 and Philippe.

Serbian form of Euphemia. This name was adopted by a 14th-century Serbian poet (born Jelena Mrnjavčević).

Danish form of John.

Polish form of Jeremiah.

German, Portuguese and Finnish form of Jeremiah. It is also the form used in some English translations of the New Testament.

From Latin Hieremihel, probably from the Hebrew name Yeraḥmeʾel (see Jerahmeel). Jeremiel (also called Remiel or Uriel) is named as an archangel in some versions of the apocryphal book of 2 Esdras (preserved in Latin) in the Old Testament.

Slovene feminine form of Bartholomew.

Form of Iscah found in the medieval Wycliffe Bible. This name was probably the basis for Shakespeare's created name Jessica.

Danish form of Jasper.

English form of Ἰησοῦς (Iesous), which was the Greek form of the Aramaic name יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshuaʿ). Yeshuaʿ is itself a contracted form of Yehoshuaʿ (see Joshua). Yeshua ben Yoseph, better known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of the New Testament and the source of the Christian religion. The four gospels state that he was the son of God and the Virgin Mary who fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. He preached for three years before being crucified in Jerusalem.

Short form of Gillian.

Means "divine warrior", from Japanese 神 (jin) meaning "god" and 武 (mu) meaning "military, martial". In Japanese legend this was the name of the founder of Japan and the first emperor, supposedly ruling in the 7th century BC.

Medieval English form of Johanne, an Old French form of Iohanna (see Joanna). This was the usual English feminine form of John in the Middle Ages, but it was surpassed in popularity by Jane in the 17th century. It again became quite popular in the first half of the 20th century, entering the top ten names for both the United States and the United Kingdom, though it has since faded.

This name (in various spellings) has been common among European royalty, being borne by ruling queens of Naples, Navarre and Castile. Another famous bearer was Joan of Arc, a patron saint of France (where she is known as Jeanne d'Arc). She was a 15th-century peasant girl who, after claiming she heard messages from God, was given leadership of the French army. She defeated the English in the battle of Orléans but was eventually captured and burned at the stake.

Other notable bearers include the actress Joan Crawford (1904-1977) and the comedian Joan Rivers (1933-2014), both Americans.

Portuguese and Catalan form of Iohanna (see Joanna).

Portuguese diminutive of Joana.

English and Polish form of Latin Iohanna, which was derived from Greek Ἰωάννα (Ioanna), the feminine form of Ioannes (see John). This is the spelling used in the English New Testament, where it belongs to a follower of Jesus who is regarded as a saint. In the Middle Ages in England it was used as a Latinized form of Joan (the usual feminine form of John) and it became common as a given name in the 19th century.

From the Greek name Ἰοκάστη (Iokaste), which is of unknown meaning. In Greek mythology she was the mother Oedipus by the Theban king Laius. In a case of tragic mistaken identity, she married her own son.

Medieval variant of Joyce, influenced by the Latin word iocosus or jocosus "merry, playful".

French and Dutch feminine form of Joel.

Icelandic form of Iohannes (see John).

Icelandic form of Iohanna (see Joanna).

Latinate form of Greek Ioanna (see Joanna).

Dutch diminutive of Johanna.

Icelandic and Faroese form of Iohannes (see John).

Latin form of Greek Ioannes (see John). Notable bearers include the inventor of the printing press Johannes Gutenberg (1398-1468), astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), painter Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675), and composer Johannes Brahms (1833-1897).

Esperanto form of Iohannes (see John).

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

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

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

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

Formed from Jo and the common name suffix lene. This name was created in the early 20th century. It received a boost in popularity after the release of Dolly Parton's 1973 song Jolene.

Spanish and Portuguese form of George. A famous bearer was the Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986).

Portuguese diminutive of Jorge.

Dutch and Frisian form of George.

Old Norse form of Jorunn.

Cornish form of George.

English, German and Dutch form of Joséphine.

Serbian and Macedonian feminine form of John.

From Latin Iovianus, a Roman cognomen that was a derivative of Iovis (see Jove). This was the name of a 4th-century Roman emperor.

Cornish form of John.

Simply from the English word joy, ultimately derived from Norman French joie, Latin gaudium. It has been regularly used as a given name since the late 19th century.

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

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

Feminine form of Iulianus (see Julian). This was the name of a 4th-century saint and martyr from Nicomedia, and also of the Blessed Juliana of Norwich, also called Julian, a 14th-century mystic and author. The name was also borne by a 20th-century queen of the Netherlands. In England, this form has been in use since the 18th century, alongside the older form Gillian.

French, Danish, Norwegian and Czech form of Julia. It has spread to many other regions as well. It has been common in the English-speaking world since the early 20th century.

French feminine form of Iulianus (see Julian).

Anglicized form of Giulietta or Juliette. This spelling was used for the ill-fated lover of Romeo in the play Romeo and Juliet (1596) by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare based his story on earlier Italian tales such as Giulietta e Romeo (1524) by Luigi Da Porto.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Juliet.

French diminutive of Julie.

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.

Alternate transcription of Russian Юлия or Ukrainian Юлія (see Yuliya).

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

Dutch form of George.

From the Latin name Iustinianus, which was derived from Iustinus (see Justin). This was the name of a 6th-century Byzantine emperor who attempted to restore the borders of the Roman Empire.

Meaning unknown. Juturna was the Roman goddess of fountains and springs. According to Virgil she was the sister of Turnus.

From Esperanto juvelo meaning "jewel".

Means "allotment, share, gift" in Sotho and Tswana.

Short form of Katariina.

Means "peace" in Tswana.

Derived from Arabic الكاهنة (al-Kāhina) meaning "the diviner, the fortuneteller". This was a title applied to the 7th-century Berber queen Dihya, who resisted the Arab expansion into North Africa.

Meaning uncertain, possibly a Frisian diminutive of Gerhard, Nicolaas, Cornelis or Gaius [1]. It is borne by a boy captured by the Snow Queen in an 1844 fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Spreading from Germany and Scandinavia, this name became popular in the English-speaking world and other places in Western Europe around the end of the 20th century.

From the name of a mountain in the Himalayas that is believed to be the paradise of the Hindu god Shiva. It is probably derived from Sanskrit केलास (kelāsa) meaning "crystal".

From Sanskrit कज्जल (kajjala) meaning "kohl, collyrium", referring to a black powder traditionally used as an eyeliner.

Hawaiian form of Sarah.

Means "joy, happiness" in Hawaiian.

Means "the flowers" or "the child" from Hawaiian ka "the" and lei "flowers, lei, child".

Hawaiian form of Karen 1.

Possibly a combination of Kaleva and Kullervo. In the Finnish epic the Kalevala this was the name of the father of Kullervo.

From the name of the mythological ancestor of the Finns, which is of unknown meaning. The name of the Finnish epic the Kalevala means "the land of Kaleva".

Variant of Kaleva.

Modern form of Kalidasa.

Means "viburnum tree" in Bulgarian, Macedonian and Polish.

Possibly from Albanian kaltër meaning "blue, azure".

Means "beautiful, lovely, auspicious" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu goddess Parvati.

From the Ukrainian word for a type of shrub, also called the guelder rose (species Viburnum opulus).

Modern masculine form of Kamala.

Means "lotus" or "pale red" in Sanskrit. In Sanskrit this is a transcription of both the feminine form कमला and the masculine form कमल, though in modern languages it is only a feminine form. In Tantric Hinduism and Shaktism this is the name of a goddess, also identified with the goddess Lakshmi.

Means "heavenly child" or "royal child" from Hawaiian kama "child" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".

Meaning unknown. This was the birth name of the Kenyan president Jomo Kenyatta (1897-1978).

Means "she is good snow" in Mohawk, from ka- "she", óniehte "snow" and the suffix -iio "good".

From Japanese 栞 (kan) meaning "bookmark" and 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations can form this name as well.

Tamil form of Krishna.

Means "answer" in Sotho and Tswana.

Dutch, Czech and Slovene form of Charles.

Means "worthy of a caress" in Esperanto.

Elaborated form of Karin.

French form of Carina 1. It can also function as a short form of Catherine, via Swedish Karin.

Elaborated form of Karin.

Means "reincarnated one" in Kikuyu.

Dutch feminine form of Karel.

Hungarian form of Karl.

Tamil form of Kartikeya.

From Sanskrit कृत्तिका (Kṛttikā), the name for the constellation of the Pleiades.

Ukrainian and Belarusian form of Karina.

Feminine form of Kasimir.

Hungarian and Basque form of Katherine.

Hungarian diminutive of Katalin.

Form of Katherine in several languages.

Polish form of Katherine.

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

Short form of Katherine, often used independently. It is short for Katherina in Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew (1593). It has been used in England since the Middle Ages. A famous bearer is the British actress Kate Winslet (1975-).

Dutch form of Katherine, used especially in Flanders.

Dutch form of Katherine, used especially in Flanders.

Breton form of Katherine.

From the Mohawk pronunciation of Katherine. This was the name adopted by the 17th-century Mohawk saint Tekakwitha upon her baptism.

Macedonian and Albanian form of Katherine, a Russian short form of Yekaterina, a Bulgarian short form of Ekaterina, and a Greek variant of Aikaterine.

Ukrainian form of Katherine.

From the Greek name Αἰκατερίνη (Aikaterine). The etymology is debated: it could derive from an earlier Greek name Ἑκατερινη (Hekaterine), itself from ἑκάτερος (hekateros) meaning "each of the two"; it could derive from the name of the goddess Hecate; it could be related to Greek αἰκία (aikia) meaning "torture"; or it could be from a Coptic name meaning "my consecration of your name". In the early Christian era it became associated with Greek καθαρός (katharos) meaning "pure", and the Latin spelling was changed from Katerina to Katharina to reflect this.

The name was borne by a semi-legendary 4th-century saint and martyr from Alexandria who was tortured on a spiked wheel. The saint was initially venerated in Syria, and returning crusaders introduced the name to Western Europe. It has been common in England since the 12th century in many different spellings, with Katherine and Catherine becoming standard in the later Middle Ages. To this day both spellings are regularly used in the English-speaking world. In the United States the spelling Katherine has been more popular since 1973.

Famous bearers of the name include Catherine of Siena, a 14th-century mystic, and Catherine de' Medici, a 16th-century French queen. It was also borne by three of Henry VIII's wives, including Katherine of Aragon, and by two empresses of Russia, including Catherine the Great.

Danish and Norwegian contracted form of Katherine.

Italian and French form of Katya, as well as an alternate transcription of the Slavic name.

Croatian, Slovene and Hungarian diminutive of Katherine.

From Esperanto katido meaning "kitten", ultimately from Latin cattus.

Greek contracted form of Katerina. This name had a spike in popularity in America in 1972 when it was used for a newborn baby on the soap opera Where the Heart Is.

German diminutive of Katharina, a Hungarian diminutive of Katalin and a Dutch diminutive of Catharina.

Diminutive of Kateřina or Katarína.

Feminine form of Ketil.

Dutch (especially Flemish) form of Katherine.

Icelandic form of Katherine.

Anglicized form of Caitrìona.

Danish and Norwegian contracted form of Katherine.

Russian diminutive of Yekaterina.

Means "princess", ultimately from Sanskrit कुमारी (kumārī) meaning "girl". This surname was assigned to all female Sikhs in 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh. It is now used as a surname or a middle name by most female Sikhs. The male equivalent is Singh.

Means "of the Kosala people" in Sanskrit. Kosala was an ancient Indian kingdom that was at its most powerful in the 6th century BC. Kausalya is the mother of the hero Rama in the Hindu epic the Ramayana.

Meaning unknown. In the 10th-century Persian epic the Shahnameh Kaveh is a blacksmith who leads a rebellion against the evil ruler Zahhak.

From Sanskrit कविता (kavitā) meaning "poem".

South Indian form of Kavita.

Means "she holds the ice" in Mohawk, from ka- "she", ówise "ice" and -hawe "hold, have".

Means "bringing joy" in Yoruba.

Means "the fire" from Hawaiian ke, a definite article, and ahi "fire".

Means "the path" from Hawaiian ke, a definite article, and ala "path".

Means "the loved one" from Hawaiian ke, a definite article, and aloha "love".

Means "heavy, serious" in Amharic.

Means "I was given" in Tswana, derived from filwe "given".

Means "comes last" in Yoruba. It is typically given to the second of twins.

Means "I am thankful" in Tswana, derived from leboga "to be thankful, to thank".

Means "thank God" in Igbo.

Meaning unknown, perhaps an invented name.

From Hebrew כְּלִיל (kelil) meaning "crown, wreath, garland" or "complete, perfect".

Variant of Qinnuajuaq.

Hawaiian form of John.

Means "horn" or "ray of light" in Hebrew.

Means "love" in Cornish.

Turkish, Turkmen and Bosnian form of Karim.

From the Hebrew name קְטוּרָה (Qeṭura) meaning "incense". In the Old Testament she is Abraham's wife after Sarah dies.

Means "premature child" in Arabic. This was the name of the Prophet Muhammad's first wife and the mother of all of his children, with the exception of one. She was a wealthy merchant and a widow when they married in the year 595. Muhammad received his first revelation 15 years after their marriage, and she was the first person to convert to Islam.

Ukrainian form of Christina.

Urdu and Uzbek form of Khorshid.

Hawaiian form of Diana. It was brought to wider attention in the late 1980s, likely by the Hawaiian fitness instructor Kiana Tom (1965-), who had a television show on ESPN beginning in 1988 [1].

From Sino-Vietnamese 金 (kim) meaning "gold, metal".

From Lakota kimímela meaning "butterfly".

Variant of K'inich.

Russian feminine form of Cyrus.

Variant of Ciara 1.

Means "gift" in Luganda.

Derived from Sanskrit किरण (kiraṇa), which can mean "dust" or "thread" or "sunbeam".

Means "skin of a tree or fruit" in Maori. This name has been brought to public attention by New Zealand opera singer Kiri Te Kanawa (1944-).

Latvian form of Cyril.

Medieval Slavic form of Cyril.

Greek form of Circe.

Means "one who bestows fame" in Sanskrit.

Derived from Sanskrit किशोर (kiśora) meaning "colt".

Feminine form of Kishor.

Feminine form of Klaas.

Derived from Greek κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory". In Greek mythology she was the goddess of history and heroic poetry, one of the nine Muses. She was said to have introduced the alphabet to Greece.

Possibly derived from Greek κοῖος (koios), also spelled ποῖος (poios), a questioning word meaning approximately "of what kind?". This was the name of a Titan god of intelligence in Greek mythology.

Means "be happy, rejoice" in Chewa and Tumbuka.

Derived from Ancient Greek κοράλλιον (korallion) meaning "coral" (in Modern Greek κοράλλι). This was the name of an obscure 4th-century saint and martyr from Thrace.

Means "coral" in Esperanto, ultimately from Latin corallium.

Derived from Greek κορώνη (korone) meaning "crow". This was the name of several figures from Greek mythology, including the mother of the god Asklepios.

Feminine form of Krasimir.

Meaning unknown, possibly of Turkic or Germanic origin. This name was borne by the most powerful of Attila's wives.

Feminine form of Krešimir.

Short form of Kristina.

From Sanskrit क्षितिज (kṣitija) meaning "born of the earth" or "horizon".

Modern form of Kumara.

Tamil and Malayalam variant of Kumara.

Means "all good, ever excellent" in Tibetan.

Old Persian form of Cyrus.

Means "born on Monday" in Akan.

Means "born on Saturday" in Akan.

Variant of Kwaku.

Means "gift" in Hausa.

Ukrainian form of Cyril.

Greek form of Cytherea.

Derived from Hebrew לָבָן (lavan) meaning "white". In the Old Testament this is the name of the father of Rachel and Leah.

Means "apportioner" in Greek. She was one of the three Fates or Μοῖραι (Moirai) in Greek mythology. She was responsible for deciding how long each person had to live.

Anglicized form of Lachlann, the Scottish Gaelic form of Lochlainn. In the English-speaking world, this name was especially popular in Australia towards the end of the 20th century.

Means "lily of the valley" in Romanian (species Convallaria majalis). It is derived from a diminutive form of lacrămă "tear".

From Hausa Lahadi meaning "Sunday" (of Arabic origin).

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.

Masculine form of Laelia.

Scandinavian and Finnish form of Láilá.

Latinized form of Greek Λάϊος (Laios), which is of unknown meaning. This was the name of a king of Thebes in Greek mythology, the husband of Jocasta. Due to a prophecy that he would be killed by his son, Laius left his infant Oedipus for dead. The boy survived but was ignorant of his true parentage. Years later he unwittingly killed Laius in a quarrel on the road.

Hungarian form of Louis. It was borne by two Hungarian kings, starting with the 14th-century Lajos I the Great, who was named after his French uncle.

Means "boy" in Hindi, derived from Sanskrit लल (lala) meaning "playing, caressing".

Means "he makes noise" in Shawnee. This was another name of the Shawnee leader Tenskwatawa (1775-1836).

Derived from the Old German elements lant "land" and beraht "bright". Saint Lambert of Maastricht was a 7th-century bishop who was martyred after denouncing Pepin II for adultery. The name was also borne by a 9th-century king of Italy who was crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

Possibly means "to make low" in Hebrew. This is the name of two characters in Genesis in the Old Testament, the first being a descendant of Cain, and the second being a descendant of Seth and the father of Noah.

From the Germanic name Lanzo, originally a short form of names that began with the Old Frankish or Old Saxon element land, Old High German lant meaning "land" (Proto-Germanic *landą). During the Middle Ages it became associated with Old French lance meaning "spear, lance". A famous bearer is American cyclist Lance Armstrong (1971-).

Old German form of Lambert.

From a surname that was derived from an Old English place name meaning "long hill" (effectively meaning "ridge"). Use of the name may have been inspired in part by the actor Michael Landon (1936-1991).

Germanic name derived from the elements lant "land" and rih "ruler, king".

Old German form of Lance.

Latinized form of Greek Λαοδίκη (Laodike) meaning "justice of the people", derived from Greek λαός (laos) meaning "people" and δίκη (dike) meaning "justice, custom, order". In Greek mythology this was the name of several women, notably the daughter of King Priam of Troy. It was also common among the royal family of the Seleucid Empire, being borne by the mother of Seleucus himself (4th century BC).

Icelandic form of Laura.

Russian short form of Larisa. It was introduced to the English-speaking world by a character from Boris Pasternak's novel Doctor Zhivago (1957) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1965). Between 1965 and 1969 it increased by almost 2,000 percent in the United States, however it is currently much more popular in the United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Germany. Another famous fictional bearer is Lara Croft, first appearing in video games in 1996 and movies in 2001.

Possibly derived from the name of the ancient city of Larisa in Thessaly, which meant "citadel". In Greek legends, the nymph Larisa was either a daughter or mother of Pelasgus, the ancestor of the mythical Pelasgians. This name was later borne by a 4th-century Greek martyr who is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Church. The name (of the city, nymph and saint) is commonly Latinized as Larissa, with a double s. As a Ukrainian name, it is more commonly transcribed Larysa.

Variant of Larisa. It has been commonly used as an English given name only since the 20th century, as a borrowing from Russian. In 1991 this name was given to one of the moons of Neptune, in honour of the mythological character.

Medieval diminutive of Laurence 1.

Scandinavian form of Laurence 1.

Icelandic form of Laurence 1.

Ukrainian, Belarusian and Polish form of Larisa.

From Latvian lāsmot meaning "to sparkle".

Hungarian form of Vladislav. Saint László was an 11th-century king of Hungary, looked upon as the embodiment of Christian virtue and bravery.

Latin form of Leto.

Meaning unknown. In Latvian mythology this is the name of a forest spirit sometimes associated with childbirth and weaving.

Feminine form of the Late Latin name Laurus, which meant "laurel". This meaning was favourable, since in ancient Rome the leaves of laurel trees were used to create victors' garlands. The name was borne by the 9th-century Spanish martyr Saint Laura, who was a nun thrown into a vat of molten lead by the Moors. It was also the name of the subject of poems by the 14th-century Italian poet Petrarch.

As an English name, Laura has been used since the 13th century. Famous bearers include Laura Secord (1775-1868), a Canadian heroine during the War of 1812, and Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957), an American author who wrote the Little House on the Prairie series of novels.

From the Roman cognomen Laurentius, which meant "from Laurentum". Laurentum was a city in ancient Italy, its name probably deriving from Latin laurus "laurel". Saint Laurence was a 3rd-century deacon and martyr from Rome. According to tradition he was roasted alive on a gridiron because, when ordered to hand over the church's treasures, he presented the sick and poor. Due to the saint's popularity, the name came into general use in the Christian world (in various spellings).

In the Middle Ages this name was common in England, partly because of a second saint by this name, a 7th-century archbishop of Canterbury. Likewise it has been common in Ireland due to the 12th-century Saint Laurence O'Toole (whose real name was Lorcán). Since the 19th century the spelling Lawrence has been more common, especially in America. A famous bearer was the British actor Laurence Olivier (1907-1989).

Feminine form of Laurentinus.

French feminine form of Laurentinus.

Roman cognomen that was a derivative of Laurentius (see Laurence 1). Saint Laurentinus was a 3rd-century martyr from Carthage.

Original masculine form of Laura. It was borne by a 2nd-century saint and martyr from Illyricum.

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

Variant of Lawal.

Variant of Laurence 1. This spelling of the name is now more common than Laurence in the English-speaking world, probably because Lawrence is the usual spelling of the surname. The surname was borne by the author and poet D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930), as well as the revolutionary T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935), who was known as Lawrence of Arabia.

Means "night" in Arabic. Layla was the love interest of the poet Qays (called Majnun) in an old Arab tale, notably retold by the 12th-century Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi in his poem Layla and Majnun. This story was a popular romance in medieval Arabia and Persia. The name became used in the English-speaking world after the 1970 release of the song Layla by Derek and the Dominos, the title of which was inspired by the medieval story.

Hungarian form of Lazarus.

Romanian form of Lazarus.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Lazarus.

Latinized form of Λάζαρος (Lazaros), a Greek form of Eleazar used in the New Testament. Lazarus was a man from Bethany, the brother of Mary and Martha, who was restored to life by Jesus.

At present this name is most commonly used in English-speaking Africa.

French form of Leah.

Form of Leah used in several languages.

From the Hebrew name לֵאָה (Leʾa), which was probably derived from the Hebrew word לָאָה (laʾa) meaning "weary, grieved" [1]. Alternatively it might be related to Akkadian littu meaning "cow". In the Old Testament Leah is the first wife of Jacob and the mother of seven of his children. Jacob's other wife was Leah's younger sister Rachel, whom he preferred. Leah later offered Jacob her handmaid Zilpah in order for him to conceive more children.

Although this name was used by Jews in the Middle Ages, it was not typical as an English Christian name until after the Protestant Reformation, being common among the Puritans.

Latinized form of the Greek name Λέανδρος (Leandros), derived from λέων (leon) meaning "lion" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός). In Greek legend Leander was the lover of Hero. Every night he swam across the Hellespont to meet her, but on one occasion he was drowned when a storm arose. When Hero saw his dead body she threw herself into the waters and perished.

Belarusian form of Leonidas.

Short form of Eleanora.

According to Polish legend this was the name of the founder of the Lechites, a group that includes the Poles. The name probably derives from that of the old Slavic tribe the Lendians, called the Lędzianie in Polish.

A famous bearer is the former Polish president Lech Wałęsa (1943-).

Alternate transcription of Lila 1.

From the Old Norse name Leifr meaning "descendant, heir". Leif Eriksson was a Norse explorer who reached North America in the early 11th century. He was the son of Erik the Red.

Old Norse form of Leif.

Icelandic form of Leif.

Means "heavenly flowers" or "royal child" from Hawaiian lei "flowers, lei, child" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".

From a surname, originally from an English place name, which meant "fallow land" in Old English. A famous bearer was the politician, businessman and Stanford University founder Leland Stanford (1824-1893).

Italian form of Laelia.

Feminine form of Lelisa.

Meaning unknown, possibly related to Finnish lempi "love". In the Finnish epic the Kalevala this is the name of an arrogant hero. After he was killed his mother fetched his body from the River of Death and restored him to life. He is sometimes identified with the god Ahti.

Short form of names ending in lena, such as Helena, Magdalena or Yelena. It is often used independently.

Variant of Leonard.

Means "lion" in Oromo.

Originally a diminutive of Magdaléna or Helena. It is now used as an independent name.

Dutch variant of Leonard.

Swedish and Low German form of Leonard.

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].

Romanian diminutive of Elena.

Derived from Latin leo meaning "lion", a cognate of Leon. It was popular among early Christians and was the name of 13 popes, including Saint Leo the Great who asserted the dominance of the Roman bishops (the popes) over all others in the 5th century. It was also borne by six Byzantine emperors and five Armenian kings. Another famous bearer was the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), name spelled Лев in Russian, whose works include War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Leo is also a constellation and the fifth sign of the zodiac.

In some cases this name can be a short form of longer names that start with Leo, such as Leonard.

Late Latin name that might be derived from the name of the Greek island of Leucadia or from Greek λευκός (leukos) meaning "bright, clear, white" (which is also the root of the island's name). Saint Leocadia was a 3rd-century martyr from Spain.

Masculine form of Leocadia.

Derived from the Old English element leof "dear, beloved" combined with dæg "day".

Derived from the Old English element leof "dear, beloved" combined with ric "ruler, king".

Derived from the Old English element leof "dear, beloved" combined with stan "stone".

Anglicized form of Llywelyn influenced by Latin leo "lion".

Derived from Greek λέων (leon) meaning "lion". During the Christian era this Greek name was merged with the Latin cognate Leo, with the result that the two forms are used somewhat interchangeably across European languages. In England during the Middle Ages this was a common name among Jews. A famous bearer was the communist revolutionary Leon Trotsky (1879-1940), whose name is Лев in Russian.

Feminine form of Leon.

Means "brave lion", derived from the Old German elements lewo "lion" (of Latin origin) and hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". This was the name of a 6th-century Frankish saint from Noblac who is the patron of prisoners and horses. The Normans brought this name to England, where it was used steadily through the Middle Ages, becoming even more common in the 20th century.

Lithuanian form of Leon.

French form of Leontios, also used as a feminine name.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Lionel.

Derived from Greek λέων (leon) meaning "lion" combined with the patronymic suffix ἴδης (ides). Leonidas was a Spartan king of the 5th century BC who sacrificed his life and his army defending the pass of Thermopylae from the Persians. This was also the name of a 3rd-century saint and martyr, the father of Origen, from Alexandria.

French masculine and feminine form of Leonidas.

Late Latin name that was derived from Leo.

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.

Feminine form of Leontius.

Derived from the Old German elements liut "people" and bald "bold, brave". The spelling was altered due to association with Latin leo "lion". This name was common among German royalty, first with the Babenbergs and then the Habsburgs. Saint Leopold was a 12th-century Babenberg margrave of Austria, who is now considered the patron of that country. It was also borne by two Habsburg Holy Roman emperors, as well as three kings of Belgium. Since the 19th century this name has been occasionally used in England, originally in honour of Queen Victoria's uncle, a king of Belgium, after whom she named one of her sons. It was later used by James Joyce for the main character, Leopold Bloom, in his novel Ulysses (1922).

French feminine form of Leopold.

Means "the sea" in Old Irish. Ler was probably an Irish god or personification of the sea, best known as the father of Manannán mac Lir.

Short form of Valeriya.

Means "love" in Sotho.

Means "light" in Tswana.

Means "luck, blessing" in Tswana, from sego "blessed".

From an English surname that was derived from the name of the city of Leicester, originally denoting a person who was from that place. The city's name is derived from the river name Ligore combined with Latin castra "camp".

Old German form of Luitgard.

From an English surname that was derived from the given name Leofwine.

Swedish short form of Elias.

Feminine form of Liberius.

Czech form of Liberius.

Means "stone flower" in Mapuche, from likan "a type of black stone" and rayen "flower". According to a Mapuche legend this was the name of a maiden who sacrificed herself in order to stop the wrath of the evil spirit of a volcano.

Derived from Greek λιγύς (ligys) meaning "clear-voiced, shrill, whistling". This was the name of one of the Sirens in Greek legend. It was also used by Edgar Allan Poe in his story Ligeia (1838).

Dutch form of Elizabeth.

Variant of Leila.

Means "lilac" in Hebrew.

Means "amusing, charming, graceful" in Sanskrit. The 12th-century mathematician Bhaskara gave this name to one of his books on mathematics, possibly after his daughter. This was also the name of a 13th-century queen of Sri Lanka.

German, French and Hungarian diminutive of Elisabeth and other names containing li. It is also sometimes connected to the German word lilie meaning "lily".

Diminutive of Elizabeth.

Diminutive of Elizabeth.

Derived from Akkadian lilitu meaning "of the night". This was the name of a demon in ancient Assyrian myths. In Jewish tradition she was Adam's first wife, sent out of Eden and replaced by Eve because she would not submit to him. The offspring of Adam (or Samael) and Lilith were the evil spirits of the world.

Means "little mother", from Swedish and Norwegian lille, an inflected form of liten meaning "little", combined with mor meaning "mother". This name was first recorded in Norway and Sweden at the beginning of the 20th century.

Variant of Lily, or a diminutive of Lillian or Elizabeth.

Either a diminutive of French names containing the sound lee or a combination of Lili and Louise.

From the name of the flower, a symbol of purity. The word is ultimately derived from Latin lilium. This is the name of the main character, Lily Bart, in the novel The House of Mirth (1905) by Edith Wharton. A famous bearer is the American actress Lily Tomlin (1939-).

Means "work hard" in Chewa.

Short form of names ending in lina.

Means "absorbed, united" in Sanskrit.

From an English surname that was originally from the name of an English city, called Lindum Colonia by the Romans, derived from Brythonic lindo "lake, pool" and Latin colonia "colony". This name is usually given in honour of Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), president of the United States during the American Civil War.

Means "waited for, awaited" in Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele and Swazi, from linda "to wait".

From a surname that was originally taken from place names meaning either "flax ford" or "linden tree ford" in Old English.

From the word for the type of flower, also called the twinflower (see Linnéa).

From the name of a flower, also known as the twinflower. The Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus named it after himself, it being his favourite flower.

Variant of Linnéa.

Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Galician form of Linus.

From the Greek name Λίνος (Linos) meaning "flax". In Greek legend he was the son of the god Apollo, who accidentally killed him in a contest. Another son of Apollo by this name was the music teacher of Herakles. The name was also borne by the second pope, serving after Saint Peter in the 1st century. In modern times this was the name of a character in Charles Schulz's comic strip Peanuts.

Old German form of Linda.

Means "my light" in Hebrew, from לִי (li) "for me" and אוֹר (ʾor) "light".

Strictly feminine form of Lior.

Possibly from the patronymic Manannán mac Lir, in which case Lir is the genitive case of the name Ler. The medieval Irish legend the Children of Lir tells how Lir of the Tuatha Dé Danann had his children transformed into swans by his third wife Aoife. The legendary characters Lir and Ler seem to be distinct.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Lysander.

Combination of Lise and Charlotte.

Diminutive of Elisabet.

Feminine form of Livius. This was the name of the wife of the Roman emperor Augustus, Livia Drusilla.

Feminine form of the Roman family name Livianus, which was itself derived from the family name Livius.

French and Czech feminine form of Livius.

Roman family name that may be related to either Latin liveo "to envy" or lividus "blue, envious". Titus Livius, also known as Livy, was a Roman historian who wrote a history of the city of Rome.

Means "white" in Hebrew.

Means "morning" in Mapuche.

Derived from the rare Serbo-Croatian word lijer meaning "lily" (the usual word is ljiljan).

From the Slavic element ľuby meaning "love" combined with a diminutive suffix. It can also come from the Serbian and Croatian word ljubica meaning "violet (flower)".

Probably a Welsh form of Lugus. In the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi [1], Lleu Llaw Gyffes is the son of Arianrhod. He was raised by his uncle Gwydion, who helped him overcome the curses that his mother placed upon him. His wife Blodeuwedd and her lover Gronw conspired to overcome his near invincibility and murder him, but they were not successful. Eventually he became the king of Gwynedd.

Variant of Lleu. It can also be a short form of Llewelyn. It coincides with the Welsh word llew meaning "lion".

From a Welsh surname that was derived from llwyd meaning "grey". The composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (1948-) is a famous bearer of this name.

Means "the sea" in Welsh. According to the Mabinogi he was the father of Brân, Branwen and Manawydan. His name is cognate with Irish Ler, and it is typically assumed that Llŷr may have originally been regarded as a god of the sea. He might also be the basis for the legendary King Leir of the Britons.

Unaccented variant of Llŷr.

Means "calf herder", derived from Old Irish lóeg "calf". In Irish legend Lóegaire Búadach was an Ulster warrior. He saved the life of the poet Áed, but died in the process. This was also the name of several Irish high kings.

Breton form of Louis.

Possibly derived from Greek λωίων (loion) meaning "more desirable" or "better". Lois is mentioned in the New Testament as the mother of Eunice and the grandmother of Timothy. As an English name, it came into use after the Protestant Reformation. In fiction, this is the name of the girlfriend of the comic book hero Superman.

Spanish diminutive of Dolores. A famous bearer was Lola Montez (1821-1861; birth name Eliza Gilbert), an Irish-born dancer, actress and courtesan.

Means "little blackbird", derived from Old Irish lon "blackbird" combined with a diminutive suffix. This name was borne by several early saints.

From Chinese 龙 (lóng) meaning "dragon" and 王 (wáng) meaning "king". This is the Chinese name of the Dragon King, a god associated with water and rain.

Hungarian form of Roland.

Used by the French author George Sand for a character in her novel Mattea (1833) and later by the Italian author Luciano Zuccoli in his novel L'amore de Loredana (1908). It was possibly based on the Venetian surname Loredan, which was derived from the place name Loreo.

From German Loreley, the name of a rock headland on the Rhine River. It is of uncertain meaning, though the second element is probably old German ley meaning "rock" (of Celtic origin). German romantic poets and songwriters, beginning with Clemens Brentano in 1801, tell that a maiden named the Lorelei lives on the rock and lures boaters to their death with her song.

In the English-speaking world this name has been occasionally given since the early 20th century. It started rising in America after the variant Lorelai was used for the main character (and her daughter, nicknamed Rory) on the television series Gilmore Girls (2000-2007).

Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian form of Lorraine.

Archaic Spanish form of Laurentius (see Laurence 1).

Old Scandinavian form of Laurence 1.

Italian and Spanish form of Laurentius (see Laurence 1). Lorenzo de' Medici (1449-1492), known as the Magnificent, was a ruler of Florence during the Renaissance. He was also a great patron of the arts who employed Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli and other famous artists.

Hungarian form of Laurentius (see Laurence 1).

English form of Lothar.

From the Germanic name Hlothar meaning "famous army", derived from the elements hlut "famous, loud" and heri "army". This was the name of medieval Frankish rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, Italy and France. It was also borne by four earlier Merovingian kings of the Franks, though their names are usually spelled as Chlothar.

From the name of the lotus flower (species Nelumbo nucifera) or the mythological lotus tree. They are ultimately derived from Greek λωτός (lotos). In Greek and Roman mythology the lotus tree was said to produce a fruit causing sleepiness and forgetfulness.

French form of Ludovicus, the Latinized form of Ludwig. This was the name of 18 kings of France, starting with Louis I the son of Charlemagne. Others include Louis IX (Saint Louis) who led two crusades and Louis XIV (called the Sun King) who was the ruler of France during the height of its power, the builder of the Palace of Versailles, and the longest reigning monarch in the history of Europe. It was also borne by kings of Germany (as Ludwig), Hungary (as Lajos), and other places.

Apart from royalty, this name was only moderately popular in France during the Middle Ages. After the French Revolution, when Louis XVI was guillotined, it became less common.

The Normans brought the name to England, where it was usually spelled Lewis, though the spelling Louis has been more common in America. Famous bearers include French scientist Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), French actor Louis de Funès (1914-1983), Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), who wrote Treasure Island and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and American jazz musician Louis Armstrong (1901-1971).

Latinate feminine form of Louis. A famous bearer was the American novelist Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), the author of Little Women.

French feminine form of Louis.

Meaning unknown. In Finnish mythology Loviatar, also known as Louhi, was a goddess of death and plague.

Swedish feminine form of Louis.

Norwegian feminine form of Louis.

From Croatian lovor meaning "laurel tree".

This name was first used by the poet Richard Lovelace for a collection of poems called Lucasta (1649). The poems were dedicated to Lucasta, a nickname for the woman he loved Lucy Sacheverel, whom he called lux casta "pure light".

Feminine form of Lucius. Saint Lucia was a 4th-century martyr from Syracuse. She was said to have had her eyes gouged out, and thus she is the patron saint of the blind. She was widely revered in the Middle Ages, and her name has been used throughout Christian Europe (in various spellings). It has been used in the England since the 12th century, usually in the spellings Lucy or Luce.

Romanian and English form of Lucianus. Lucian is the usual name of Lucianus of Samosata in English.

Portuguese feminine form of Lucilius.

Feminine form of Lucilius.

Italian form of Lucilius.

Roman family name that was a derivative of the given name Lucius. This was the family name of the 2nd-century BC Roman satirist Gaius Lucilius.

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

Derived from Latin lucus meaning "grove", but later associated with lux meaning "light". This was the name of a Roman goddess of childbirth.

An elaboration of Lucia created by Cervantes for his novel Don Quixote (1605). It was subsequently used by Molière in his play The Doctor in Spite of Himself (1666).

Roman praenomen, or given name, which was derived from Latin lux "light". This was the most popular of the praenomina. Two Etruscan kings of early Rome had this name as well as several prominent later Romans, including Lucius Annaeus Seneca (known simply as Seneca), a statesman, philosopher, orator and tragedian. The name is mentioned briefly in the New Testament belonging to a Christian in Antioch. It was also borne by three popes, including the 3rd-century Saint Lucius. Despite this, the name was not regularly used in the Christian world until after the Renaissance.

Feminine form of the Roman family name Lucretius, possibly from Latin lucrum meaning "profit, wealth". According Roman legend Lucretia was a maiden who was raped by the son of the king of Rome. This caused a great uproar among the Roman citizens, and the monarchy was overthrown. This name was also borne by a 4th-century saint and martyr from Mérida, Spain.

Italian form of Lucretia.