WinifredWaffles's Personal Name List
Amaryllis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: am-ə-RIL-is(English)
Derived from Greek
ἀμαρύσσω (amarysso) meaning
"to sparkle". This is the name of a character appearing in
Virgil's pastoral poems
Eclogues [1]. The amaryllis flower is named for her.
Ambrosia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἀμβροσία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AM-BRO-SEE-A
Feminine form of
Ambrosios (see
Ambrose).
Anemone
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ə-NEHM-ə-nee
From the name of the anemone flower, which is derived from Greek
ἄνεμος (anemos) meaning "wind".
Anthea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἄνθεια(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AN-thee-ə(English)
From the Greek
Ἄνθεια (Antheia), derived from
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning
"flower, blossom". This was an epithet of the Greek goddess
Hera.
Bláthnat
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Means
"little flower" from Irish
bláth "flower" combined with a
diminutive suffix. In Irish legend she was a maiden abducted and married by Cú Roí. She was rescued by
Cúchulainn, who killed her husband, but was in turn murdered by one of Cú Roí's loyal servants.
Blodeuwedd
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh Mythology
Pronounced: blaw-DAY-wedh(Welsh)
Means
"face of flowers" in Welsh. According to the Fourth Branch of the
Mabinogi [1], she was created out of flowers by
Gwydion to be the wife of his nephew
Lleu Llaw Gyffes. Originally she was named
Blodeuedd meaning simply "flowers". She was eventually transformed into an owl by Gwydion after she and her lover
Gronw attempted to murder Lleu, at which point he renamed her
Blodeuwedd.
Blodwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: BLOD-wehn
Means "white flowers" from Welsh blodau "flowers" combined with gwen "white, blessed". This is the name of an 1878 Welsh opera by Joseph Parry.
Calanthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: kə-LAN-thee
From the name of a type of orchid, ultimately meaning "beautiful flower", derived from Greek
καλός (kalos) meaning "beautiful" and
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower".
Celandine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SEHL-ən-deen, SEHL-ən-dien
From the name of the flower, which is derived from Greek
χελιδών (chelidon) meaning "swallow (bird)".
Chrysanthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Χρυσάνθη(Ancient Greek)
Clover
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KLO-vər
From the English word for the wild flower, ultimately deriving from Old English clafre.
Diantha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch (Rare), English (Rare)
Pronounced: die-AN-thə(English)
From dianthus, the name of a type of flower (ultimately from Greek meaning "heavenly flower").
Elanor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Means "star sun" in the fictional language Sindarin. In The Lord of the Rings (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien this is Sam's eldest daughter, named after a type of flower.
Embla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norse Mythology, Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian
Pronounced: EHM-blah(Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian)
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.
Erica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish, Italian
Pronounced: EHR-i-kə(English)
Feminine form of
Eric. It was first used in the 18th century. It also coincides with the Latin word for
"heather".
Euanthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Εὐάνθη(Ancient Greek)
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.
Fioralba
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian (Rare)
Combination of Italian
fiore "flower" (Latin
flos) and
alba "dawn".
Flora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, French, Greek, Albanian, Roman Mythology
Other Scripts: Φλώρα(Greek)
Pronounced: FLAWR-ə(English) FLAW-ra(Italian) FLO-ra(Spanish, German, Dutch, Latin) FLAW-ru(Portuguese) FLAW-RA(French)
Derived from Latin
flos meaning
"flower" (genitive case
floris). Flora was the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, the wife of Zephyr the west wind. It has been used as a given name since the Renaissance, starting in France. In Scotland it was sometimes used as an Anglicized form of
Fionnghuala.
Gardenia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: gahr-DEEN-ee-ə
From the name of the tropical flower, which was named for the Scottish naturalist Alexander Garden (1730-1791).
Ione
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English
Other Scripts: Ἰόνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ie-O-nee(English)
From Ancient Greek
ἴον (ion) meaning
"violet flower". This was the name of a sea nymph in Greek
mythology. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, though perhaps based on the Greek place name
Ionia, a region on the west coast of Asia Minor.
Iris
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, French, Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Slovene, Croatian, Greek
Other Scripts: Ἶρις(Ancient Greek) Ίρις(Greek)
Pronounced: IE-ris(English) EE-ris(German, Dutch) EE-rees(Finnish, Spanish, Catalan, Italian) EE-REES(French)
Means "rainbow" in Greek. Iris was the name of the Greek goddess of the rainbow, also serving as a messenger to the gods. This name can also be given in reference to the word (which derives from the same Greek source) for the iris flower or the coloured part of the eye.
Laelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Pronounced: LIE-lee-a
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.
Laleh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: لاله(Persian)
Pronounced: law-LEH
Means "tulip" in Persian.
Lavender
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: LAV-ən-dər
From the English word for the aromatic flower or the pale purple colour.
Linnéa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: lin-NEH-a
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.
Linnea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish
Pronounced: lin-NEH-a(Swedish) LEEN-neh-ah(Finnish)
Lotus
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: LO-təs
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.
Magnolia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: mag-NO-lee-ə
From the English word magnolia for the flower, which was named for the French botanist Pierre Magnol.
Maylis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MAY-LEES, MA-EE-LEES
From the name of a town in southern France, said to derive from Occitan
mair "mother" and French
lys "lily". It is also sometimes considered a combination of
Marie and
lys.
Myrtle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MUR-təl
Simply from the English word
myrtle for the evergreen shrub, ultimately from Greek
μύρτος (myrtos). It was first used as a given name in the 19th century, at the same time many other plant and flower names were coined.
Primavera
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian (Rare), Medieval Italian, Spanish (Latin American, Rare)
Pronounced: pree-ma-VEH-ra(Italian) pree-ma-BEH-ra(Spanish)
Derived from Vulgar Latin prīmavēra "spring". The descendant word primavera is used in Asturian, Catalan, Galician, Italian, Portuguese (and Old Portuguese), Sicilian, and Spanish.
Primrose
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: PRIM-roz
From the English word for the flower, ultimately deriving from Latin prima rosa "first rose".
Rhosyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh (Rare)
Means "rose" in Welsh. This is a modern Welsh name.
Rosalba
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Italian name meaning
"white rose", derived from Latin
rosa "rose" and
alba "white". A famous bearer was the Venetian painter Rosalba Carriera (1675-1757).
Rosamund
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: RO-zə-mənd, RAHZ-ə-mənd
Derived from the Old German elements
hros "horse" and
munt "protection". This name was borne by the wife of the Lombard king Alboin in the 6th century. The
Normans introduced it to England. It was subsequently interpreted as coming from Latin
rosa munda "pure rose" or
rosa mundi "rose of the world". This was the name of the mistress of Henry II, the king of England in the 12th century. According to legends she was murdered by his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Thalia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized), Greek
Other Scripts: Θάλεια(Greek)
Pronounced: THAY-lee-ə(English) thə-LIE-ə(English)
From the Greek name
Θάλεια (Thaleia), derived from
θάλλω (thallo) meaning
"to blossom". In Greek
mythology she was one of the nine Muses, presiding over comedy and pastoral poetry. This was also the name of one of the three Graces or
Χάριτες (Charites).
Veronica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Romanian, Late Roman
Pronounced: və-RAHN-i-kə(American English) və-RAWN-i-kə(British English) veh-RAW-nee-ka(Italian)
Latin alteration of
Berenice, the spelling influenced by the ecclesiastical Latin phrase
vera icon meaning
"true image". This was the name of a legendary
saint who wiped
Jesus' face with a towel and then found his image imprinted upon it. Due to popular stories about her, the name was occasionally used in the Christian world in the Middle Ages. It was borne by the Italian saint and mystic Veronica Giuliani (1660-1727). As an English name, it was not common until the 19th century, when it was imported from France and Scotland.
Viola
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak
Pronounced: vie-O-lə(English) vi-O-lə(English) VIE-ə-lə(English) VYAW-la(Italian) vi-OO-la(Swedish) VEE-o-la(German) vee-O-la(German) VEE-o-law(Hungarian) VI-o-la(Czech) VEE-aw-la(Slovak)
Means
"violet" in Latin. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's comedy
Twelfth Night (1602). In the play she is the survivor of a shipwreck who disguises herself as a man named Cesario. Working as a messenger for Duke
Orsino, she attempts to convince
Olivia to marry him. Instead Viola falls in love with the duke.
Wisteria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: wis-TEHR-ee-ə, wis-TEER-ee-ə
From the name of the flowering plant, which was named for the American anatomist Caspar Wistar.
Xochitl
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Nahuatl
Pronounced: SHO-cheech
Means
"flower" in Nahuatl
[1].
Zaira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: DZIE-ra(Italian) dza-EE-ra(Italian) THIE-ra(European Spanish) SIE-ra(Latin American Spanish)
Italian and Spanish form of
Zaïre. It was used by Vincenzo Bellini for the heroine of his opera
Zaira (1829), which was based on Voltaire's 1732 play
Zaïre.
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