tykki's Personal Name List

Means "joy" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form नन्द and the feminine form नन्दा (spelled with a long final vowel).

In Hindu texts this is the name of the foster father of Krishna, as well as various other characters. In Buddhist texts this is the name of both a half-brother and half-sister of Buddha. Nanda was also a 4th-century BC king who founded a dynasty in Magadha in India.

In southern India this name is more common among males, while in the north it is typically feminine, with the form Nand being masculine.

Means "sun light" in Mongolian, from наран (naran) meaning "sun" and гэрэл (gerel) meaning "light".

Means "sun flower" in Mongolian, from наран (naran) meaning "sun" and цэцэг (tsetseg) meaning "flower".

Short form of Nathan or Nathaniel.

Means "marked" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the head of a family of temple servants.

Derived from Cornish nessa "second; nearest".

Anglicized form of Neasa.

Maori name that is derived from the name of a type of tree, also called the mousehole tree. This name was borne by New Zealand crime writer Dame Ngaio Marsh (1895-1982).

Welsh form of Niamh. The Welsh poet T. Gwynn Jones used it in his long poem Tir na n-Óg (1916), referring to the lover of Oisín.

Means "princess" in Xhosa.

French, Spanish, Portuguese and Hungarian form of Noah 1.

Simply from the English word ocean for a large body of water. It is ultimately derived from Greek Ὠκεανός (Okeanos), the name of the body of water thought to surround the Earth.

Means "star flower" in Mongolian, from од (od) meaning "star" and цэцэг (tsetseg) meaning "flower".

From Old French Olivier, which was possibly derived from Latin oliva "olive tree" [1]. Alternatively there could be an underlying Germanic name, such as Old Norse Áleifr (see Olaf) or Frankish Alawar (see Álvaro), with the spelling altered by association with the Latin word. In the Middle Ages the name became well-known in Western Europe because of the French epic La Chanson de Roland, in which Olivier is a friend and advisor to the hero Roland.

In England Oliver was a common medieval name, however it became rare after the 17th century because of the military commander Oliver Cromwell, who ruled the country following the civil war. The name was revived in the 19th century, perhaps due in part to the title character in Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist (1838), about a poor orphan living on the streets of London. It became very popular at the beginning of the 21st century, reaching the top rank for boys in England and Wales in 2009 and entering the top ten in the United States in 2017.

Feminine form of Olympos.

From the English word opal for the iridescent gemstone, the birthstone of October. The word ultimately derives from Sanskrit उपल (upala) meaning "jewel".

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

Means "golden-beautiful" in Esperanto, ultimately from Latin aurea "gold" and bella "beautiful".

From a Catalan surname meaning "golden". It has been used in honour of Saint Joseph Oriol (1650-1702).

Possibly means "deer friend", derived from Old Irish oss "deer" and carae "friend". Alternatively, it may derive from the Old English name Osgar or its Old Norse cognate Ásgeirr, which may have been brought to Ireland by Viking invaders and settlers. In Irish legend Oscar was the son of the poet Oisín and the grandson of the hero Fionn mac Cumhaill.

This name was popularized in continental Europe by the works of the 18th-century Scottish poet James Macpherson [1]. Napoleon was an admirer of Macpherson, and he suggested Oscar as the second middle name of his godson, who eventually became king of Sweden as Oscar I. Other notable bearers include the Irish writer and humorist Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) and the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer (1907-2012).

Later German form of Audo, originally a short form of various names beginning with Old Frankish aud or Old High German ot meaning "wealth, fortune". This was the name of a 9th-century king of the West Franks (name usually spelled as Odo). This was also the name of four kings of Germany, starting in the 10th century with Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor, known as Otto the Great. Saint Otto of Bamberg was a 12th-century missionary to Pomerania. The name was also borne by a 19th-century king of Greece, originally from Bavaria. Another notable bearer was the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898).

Alternate transcription of Ukrainian/Russian Оксана (see Oksana).

Feminine form of Paulus (see Paul). This was the name of a 4th-century Roman saint who was a companion of Saint Jerome.

Derived from the name of the fruit, which itself derived its name from Late Latin persica, which came from older Latin malum persicum meaning "Persian fruit." In popular culture, this is the name of the Nintendo video game character Princess Peach, whom Mario often rescues from the evil Bowser.

Literally derived from the English word peaches, which is the plural form of peach, the fruit. It is derived from Late Middle English from Old French pesche, from medieval Latin persica, from Latin persicum, meaning "Persian apple".

From the English word pearl for the concretions formed in the shells of some mollusks, ultimately from Late Latin perla. Like other gemstone names, it has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century. The pearl is the traditional birthstone for June, and it supposedly imparts health and wealth.

From the English word for the spice, which is prepared from the dried berries of the pepper plant. The word is derived from Latin piper, ultimately from an Indo-Aryan source. In popular culture, Pepper is the nickname of Virginia Potts from the Iron Man series of comic books and movies, created 1963.

Derived from Latin perditus meaning "lost". Shakespeare created this name for the daughter of Hermione and Leontes in his play The Winter's Tale (1610). Abandoned as an infant by her father the king, she grows up to be a shepherdess and falls in love with with Florizel.

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

From the English word for the flower part, derived from Greek πέταλον (petalon) meaning "leaf".

Feminine form of Peter. This was also the name of an ancient city in the region that is now Jordan.

Ukrainian and Esperanto form of Peter.

Latinized form of the Greek name Φοίβη (Phoibe), which meant "bright, pure" from Greek φοῖβος (phoibos). In Greek mythology Phoibe was a Titan associated with the moon. This was also an epithet of her granddaughter, the moon goddess Artemis. The name appears in Paul's epistle to the Romans in the New Testament, where it belongs to a female minister in the church at Cenchreae.

In England, it began to be used as a given name after the Protestant Reformation. It was moderately common in the 19th century. It began to rise in popularity again in the late 1980s, probably helped along by characters on the American television shows Friends (1994-2004) and Charmed (1998-2006). It is currently much more common in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand than the United States.

A moon of Saturn bears this name, in honour of the Titan.

Medieval form of Peter. This is the name of the main character in the 14th-century poem Piers Plowman [1] by William Langland.

From an English surname that was originally given to a person who played on a pipe (a flute). It was popularized as a given name by a character from the television series Charmed, which debuted in 1998 [1].

Old German form of Pepin. The 1972 musical Pippin is loosely based on the life of Charlemagne's eldest son Pepin the Hunchback.

From Esperanto pipro meaning "pepper".

Combination of Polly and Anna. This was the name of the main character in Eleanor H. Porter's novel Pollyanna (1913).

Means "night cough", from Tahitian pō "night" and mare "cough". This name was borne by four kings and a queen of Tahiti. The first king adopted the name after his child died of a cough in the night.

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

Diminutive of Josephine. It can also be inspired by the English word posy for a bunch of flowers.

Short form of Primrose and Primula.

From the English word prince, a royal title, which comes ultimately from Latin princeps. This name was borne by the American musician Prince Rogers Nelson (1958-2016), who is known simply as Prince.

From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Irish Gaelic Ó Cuinn, itself derived from the given name Conn. In the United States it was more common as a name for boys until 2010, the year after the female character Quinn Fabray began appearing on the television series Glee.

Combination of Rae and Wyn (used especially in New Zealand).

From a surname derived from the Old French nickname reine meaning "queen". A famous bearer was the British socialite Raine Spencer (1929-2016), the stepmother of Princess Diana. In modern times it is also considered a variant of Rain 1.

Means "lovely, delightful" in Esperanto.

From Japanese 鈴 (rei) meaning "bell", 麗 (rei) meaning "beautiful, lovely" or 玲 (rei) meaning "the tinkling of jade". This name can also be formed by other kanji with the same pronunciation.

Dutch, Danish and Limburgish short form of Maria and Marie.

Short form of Fredrika, Henrika and other names ending in rika.

From Japanese 莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine" or 理 (ri) meaning "reason, logic" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.

From Japanese 凛 (rin) meaning "dignified, severe, cold" or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.

From Japanese 莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine" or 里 (ri) meaning "village" combined with 奈 (na), a phonetic character, or 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Diminutive of Marinus, Marina or Catharina.

From Japanese 凛 (rin) meaning "dignified, severe, cold". The characters can be in either order or the same character can be duplicated, as indicated by the symbol 々. Other kanji combinations are possible.

From a surname that was derived from the name of various English towns, from Old English rippel "grove, thicket" and leah "clearing". A famous fictional bearer is the character Ellen Ripley (usually only called by her surname) from the Alien series of movies, beginning 1979.

Medieval English diminutive of Robert, now usually regarded as an independent name. Robin Hood was a legendary hero and archer of medieval England who stole from the rich to give to the poor. In modern times it has also been used as a feminine name, and it may sometimes be given in reference to the red-breasted bird.

Medieval French diminutive of Robine (as -ette is a French feminine diminutive suffix). In other words: you could say that this name is the feminine form of Robinet. This given name is extremely rare in France nowadays, as there are only a handful of bearers in the country today. It doesn't fare much better as a matronymic surname either, what with only 8 bearers of the Robinette surname having been born in France between 1966 and 1990.

As a given name, Robinette is nowadays more used in English-speaking countries (primarily the United States), where its use is often inspired by the surname Robinette (as surnames are often used as given names in the English-speaking world), which is more prevalent there than in France.

Means "teardrop" in Maori.

Italian form of the Late Latin Romaeus or Late Greek Ρωμαῖος (Romaios), which meant "from Rome" or "Roman". Romeo is best known as the lover of Juliet in William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet (1596). Shakespeare based his play on earlier Italian stories by Luigi Da Porto (1524) and Matteo Bandello (1554), which both featured characters named Giulietta and Romeo.

Generally this can be considered to be from Latin rosa meaning "rose", though originally it may have come from the unrelated Germanic name Roza 2. This was the name of a 13th-century saint from Viterbo in Italy. In the English-speaking world it was first used in the 19th century. Famous bearers include the Polish-German revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919) and the American civil rights activist Rosa Parks (1913-2005).

French, German and Dutch form of Rosalia. In the English-speaking this name received a boost after the release of the movie Rosalie (1938), which was based on an earlier musical.

Derived from the Old German elements hros meaning "horse" and lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender". The Normans introduced this name to England, though it was not common. During the Middle Ages its spelling was influenced by the Latin phrase rosa linda "beautiful rose". The name was popularized by Edmund Spencer, who used it in his poetry, and by William Shakespeare, who used it for the heroine in his comedy As You Like It (1599).

Medieval variant of Rosalind. This is the name of characters in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost (1594) and Romeo and Juliet (1596).

Originally a Norman French form of the Germanic name Hrodohaidis meaning "famous type", composed of the elements hruod "fame" and heit "kind, sort, type". The Normans introduced it to England in the forms Roese and Rohese. From an early date it was associated with the word for the fragrant flower rose (derived from Latin rosa). When the name was revived in the 19th century, it was probably with the flower in mind.

Feminine form of Rosen.

Combination of Rosen and Cornish gwynn "fair, white, blessed". This is a modern Cornish name.

French diminutive of Rose.

Diminutive of Rose.

Anglicized form of the Irish name Ruadhán. As an English name, it can also be derived from the surname Rowan, itself derived from the Irish given name. It could also be given in reference to the rowan tree, a word of Old Norse origin (coincidentally sharing the same Indo-European root meaning "red" with the Irish name).

Variant of Rowan.

Variant of Rowena.

Means "rosy-beautiful" in Esperanto, ultimately from Latin rosa "rose" and bella "beautiful".

From Esperanto rubeno meaning "ruby", ultimately from Latin ruber "red".

From 琉 (ru) "gem" and 花 (ka) "flower."

Feminine form of Rune.

Derived from Old Norse rún meaning "secret lore, rune".

From Japanese 月 (ru) meaning "moon", 流 (ru) meaning "current, a sink, flow, forfeit", 涙 (ru) meaning "tears, sympathy", 琉 (ru) meaning "precious stone, gem, lapis lazuli", 瑠 (ru) meaning "lapis lazuli", 留 (ru) meaning "detain, fasten, halt, stop", 羅 (ru) meaning "gauze, thin silk", 羽 (ru) meaning "feathers", 蕗 (ru) meaning "butterbur, bog rhubarb", 陽 (ru) meaning "light, sun, male" or 麗 (ru) meaning "lovely, beautiful, graceful, resplendent" combined with 々, a phonetic character indicting a duplication of the beginning kanji, 夢 (ru) meaning "dream", 流 (ru) meaning "current, a sink, flow, forfeit", 琉 (ru) meaning "precious stone, gem, lapis lazuli", 瑠 (ru) meaning "lapis lazuli", 留 (ru) meaning "detain, fasten, halt, stop", 陽 (ru) meaning "light, sun, male", 優 (ru) meaning "tenderness, excel, surpass, actor, superiority, gentleness", 月 (ru) meaning "moon", 空 (ru) meaning "sky", 羽 (ru) meaning "feathers", 雨 (ru) meaning "rain", 彩 (ru) meaning "colour", 輝 (ru) meaning "radiance, shine, sparkle, gleam, twinkle", 愛 (ru) meaning "love, affection" or 要 (ru) meaning "need, main point, essence, pivot, key to". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Usage of this name is, most likely, influenced by the name Lulu 1 or Loulou.

From a nickname that was originally given to someone with a rusty, or reddish-brown, hair colour.

From the Hebrew name רוּת (Ruṯ), probably derived from the word רְעוּת (reʿuṯ) meaning "female friend". This is the name of the central character in the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament. She was a Moabite woman who accompanied her mother-in-law Naomi back to Bethlehem after Ruth's husband died. There she met and married Boaz. She was an ancestor of King David.

As a Christian name, Ruth has been in use since the Protestant Reformation. In England it was associated with the archaic word ruth meaning "pity, compassion" (now only commonly seen in the word ruthless). The name became very popular in America following the birth of "Baby" Ruth Cleveland (1891-1904), the daughter of President Grover Cleveland.

From an English occupational surname derived from Old English ridere meaning "mounted warrior" or "messenger". It has grown in popularity in the 2000s because it starts with the same sound found in other popular names like Ryan and Riley.

Latinized form of Habren, the original Welsh name of the River Severn. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Sabrina was the name of a princess who was drowned in the Severn. Supposedly the river was named for her, but it is more likely that her name was actually derived from that of the river, which is of unknown meaning. She appears as a water nymph in John Milton's masque Comus (1634).

The name was brought to public attention by Samuel A. Taylor's play Sabrina Fair (1953) and the movie adaptation Sabrina that followed it the next year. This is also the name of a comic book character, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, first introduced 1962 and with television adaptations in 1970-1974 and 1996-2003, both causing minor jumps in popularity. Another jump occurred in 1976, when it was used for a main character on the television series Charlie's Angels.

From Japanese 幸 (sachi) meaning "happiness, good luck" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.

From Japanese 貞 (sada) "chastity; virtue, faithfulness, uprighteousness" or "chaste; virtuous, faithful, uprighteous", 節 (sada) "season", 定 (sada) "determined", or 禎 (sada) "lucky, auspicious" or "blessed, good fortune" combined with Japanese 子(ko) "child".
貞子 "chaste child" or "child of chastity" was by far the most common combination.

A famous bearer of the name was Sadako Sasaki (Japanese: 佐々木 禎子 Sasaki Sadako) (1943-1955), a child who died from leukemia after the Hiroshima bomb. Her endeavour to fold 1,000 paper cranes in order to have her wish granted has become a symbol of peace.

The name was also borne by Sadako Yamamura (Japanese: 山村 貞子 Yamamura Sadako), the fictional antagonist of the Japanese horror franchise "Ringu" (also known and adapted as "The Ring" in Western countries), which began as a book first published in 1991. Although malevolent and considered very frightening, the character also has a tragic and sympathetic backstory, a combination that has made her very popular within the horror community. This may have influenced the popularity of her name's kanji combination, at least during the 1990s and afterward. (Prior to the franchise, the literal meaning of this combination was probably its chief attraction, especially to conservative parents.)
(See also Kayako, the name borne by the main fictional antagonist of the Japanese horror franchise "Ju-On", also known and adapted as "The Grudge" in the West. Indeed, these two characters - Sadako and Kayako - eventually became so popular that they starred in a crossover film together: 2016's "Sadako vs. Kayako".)

The name, regardless of kanji, is written as さだこ (Sadako) in hiragana and as サダコ (Sadako) in katakana.

From the English word sage, which denotes either a type of spice or else a wise person.

From the English word, ultimately from Latin sanctus "holy, saintly".

Alternate transcription of Arabic سالم (see Salim).

Modern form of Sanjaya.

Possibly from Greek σάπφειρος (sappheiros) meaning "sapphire" or "lapis lazuli". This was the name of a 7th-century BC Greek poetess from Lesbos.

Means "moonlight" in Mongolian, from саран (saran) meaning "moon" and гэрэл (gerel) meaning "light".

Russian and Ukrainian diminutive of Aleksandr or Aleksandra.

Alternate transcription of Kannada ಶಶಿ (see Shashi).

From Japanese kanji 皐 (satsuki) meaning "shore" or 皐月/五月 (satsuki), the fifth month of the lunar calendar. It can be also the combination of 小 (sa) meaning "little; small" and 月 (tsuki) meaning "moon".

Other kanji combinations are possible.

From the Latin Saturnus, which is of unknown meaning. In Roman mythology he was the father of Jupiter, Juno and others, and was also the god of agriculture. This is also the name of the ringed sixth planet in the solar system.

Turkish form of Safaa'.

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

From the name of the patron saint of Zennor, a village in Cornwall, which is of obscure origin. Conceivably it may be derived from the Breton name Azenor or the old Celtic Senovara. According to local legend Saint Senara was originally Princess Azenor of Brest in Lower Brittany, the mother of Saint Budoc. She is also said to have been a mermaid before her conversion (though even after becoming a Christian, "she continued to pine for the sea"). This name was given to 52 girls born in England and Wales in the years 1916-2005.

From Japanese 節 (setsu) meaning "section, period, verse, melody" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can also be possible.

From Japanese 静 (shizu) meaning "quiet" combined with 夏 (ka) meaning "summer" or 香 (ka) meaning "fragrance". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Variant of Sibylla.

The name of a companion of Saint Paul in the New Testament. It is probably a short form of Silvanus, a name that Paul calls him by in the epistles. It is possible that Silvanus and Silas were Latin and Greek forms of the Hebrew name Saul (via Aramaic).

As an English name it was not used until after the Protestant Reformation. It was utilized by George Eliot for the title character in her novel Silas Marner (1861).

Means "sister" in Finnish.

Feminine variant of Skyler, formed using the popular name suffix la.

Means "sun" in French. It is not commonly used as a name in France itself.

Means "rainbow" in Mongolian.

From the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English spearwa.

From the name of the season, ultimately from Old English springan "to leap, to burst forth".

Means "witty, lively" in Esperanto, ultimately from Latin spiritus "breath, energy".

From the English word for the celestial body, ultimately from Old English steorra.

Elaborated form of Star.

Means "star" in Latin. This name was created by the 16th-century poet Philip Sidney for the subject of his collection of sonnets Astrophel and Stella. It was a nickname of a lover of Jonathan Swift, real name Esther Johnson (1681-1728), though it was not commonly used as a given name until the 19th century. It appears in Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), belonging to the sister of Blanche DuBois and the wife of Stanley Kowalski.

Means "star" in Cornish.

From the name of the season, ultimately from Old English sumor. It has been in use as a given name since the 1970s.

From the name of the day of the week, which ultimately derives from Old English sunnandæg, which was composed of the elements sunne "sun" and dæg "day". This name is most common in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.

From the English word meaning "sunny, cheerful".

From the English word, ultimately from Old English sunne "sun" and scinan "shine".

French diminutive of Susanna.

In Cornish folklore, Tamara is a nymph who lived in the underworld and wanted to wander freely in the mortal world, against the advice of her parents. When she falls in love with the giant Tawradge, she refuses to return to the underworld with her father. He becomes enraged and casts a spell on Tamara, turning her into a bubbling spring, which produced the Tamar river (Dowr Tamar in Cornish), that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall.

Variant of Tamiko, inspired by the American jazz singer Tamiko Jones (1945-) or the American movie A Girl Named Tamiko (1963).

From Japanese 多 (ta) meaning "many", 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are also possible.

Short form of Tamara and other names beginning with Tam.

Means "thunder" in Welsh, from the old Celtic root *toranos. It appears briefly in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi [1]. The name is cognate to that of the Gaulish god Taranis. It was also borne by the 7th-century Pictish king Taran mac Ainftech.

Variant of Taryn.

From the English word, ultimately deriving from Old French tané, which means "light brown".

Means "radiance, splendour, beauty" in Burmese, ultimately from Sanskrit श्री (śrī).

Means "shell flower" in Paiute.

Means "quiet, peaceful" in Zulu.

Means "flower" in Tahitian, also specifically referring to the species Gardenia taitensis.

From Sino-Vietnamese 仙 (tiên) meaning "immortal, transcendent, celestial being, fairy".

Means "we are with God", from Shona ti "we", na "with" and ishe "lord, God".

From the Hebrew name תִּרְצָה (Tirtsa) meaning "favourable". Tirzah is the name of one of the daughters of Zelophehad in the Old Testament. It also occurs in the Old Testament as a place name, the early residence of the kings of the northern kingdom.

Perhaps based on Latin Titanius meaning "of the Titans". This name was (first?) used by William Shakespeare in his comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595) where it belongs to the queen of the fairies, the wife of Oberon. This is also a moon of Uranus, named after the Shakespearean character.

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

Diminutive of Beatrix.

Means "tulle moon" in Turkish.

Latinized form of Tyge. This name was used by the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), who was born as Tyge.

Means "heavenly beauty" or "royal beauty" from Hawaiian uʻi "youth, beauty" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".

Latinized form of Ourania.

Means "little bear", derived from a diminutive form of the Latin word ursa "she-bear". Saint Ursula was a legendary virgin princess of the 4th century who was martyred by the Huns while returning from a pilgrimage. In England the saint was popular during the Middle Ages, and the name came into general use at that time.

Means "rabbit" in Japanese. This name was used on the Japanese television show Sailor Moon, which first aired in the 1990s.

From Lithuanian vaivorykštė meaning "rainbow".

From the Roman cognomen Valentinus, which was itself a derivative of the cognomen Valens meaning "strong, vigorous, healthy" in Latin. Saint Valentine was a 3rd-century martyr. His feast day was the same as the Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia, which resulted in the association between Valentine's Day and love.

As an English name, it has been used occasionally since the 12th century. It is the name of a central character in Shakespeare's play The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).

English and German form of Valeria, as well as a Czech variant of Valérie.

Russian and Ukrainian feminine form of Valerius, as well as an alternate transcription of Belarusian Валерыя (see Valeryia).

From the English word valor meaning "bravery, courage". From the Latin valor "value".

Means "valuable" in Esperanto.

Probably of Persian origin, possibly a superlative form of 𐎺𐎢 (vahu) meaning "good". According to the Old Testament this was the name of the first wife of King Ahasuerus of Persia before he married Esther.

Means "clever" in Khmer.

Means "love, sexual desire" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of love and sex. Her character was assimilated with that of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. As the mother of Aeneas she was considered an ancestor of the Roman people. The second planet from the sun is named after her.

Probably a Roman cognate of Hestia. Vesta was the Roman goddess of the hearth. A continuous fire, tended by the Vestal Virgins, was burned in the Temple of Vesta in Rome.

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.

Scandinavian diminutive of names beginning with Vi, as well as Olivia and Sofia.

Variant of Viveca. A famous bearer is actress Vivica Fox.

French form of Viviana.

Diminutive of Vivienne. William John Locke used this name for the title character in his novel Viviette (1910).

Variant of Vivian. This was the name of one of Oscar Wilde's sons.

From Japanese 和 (wa) meaning "harmony, peace" and 奏 (kana) meaning "play music, complete", as well as other combinations of kanji that are pronounced the same way.

From the rare English surname Waverley, derived from the name of a place in Surrey, itself possibly from Old English wæfre "flickering, wavering" and leah "woodland, clearing".

The surname was borne by the title character in the novel Waverley (1814) by Walter Scott. Streets in New York and San Francisco have been named Waverly after the novel, and a female character in Amy Tan's novel The Joy Luck Club (1989) is named after the San Francisco street. The name received a small boost in popularity for girls after the 1993 release of the novel's movie adaptation, and it rose further after the debut of the television series Wizards of Waverly Place (2007-2012).

Possibly means "little goose" in Ojibwe. This was the name of an 18th-century chief of the Ottawa people.

From the name of the day of the week, which was derived from Old English wodnesdæg meaning "Woden's day". On the Addams Family television series (1964-1966) this was the name of the daughter, based on an earlier unnamed character in Charles Addams' cartoons. Her name was inspired by the popular nursery rhyme line Wednesday's child is full of woe.

In the case of the character from J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan (1904), it was created from the nickname fwendy "friend", given to the author by a young friend. However, the name was used prior to the play (rarely), in which case it could be related to the Welsh name Gwendolen and other names beginning with the element gwen meaning "white, blessed". The name only became common after Barrie's play ran.

Early Cornish form of Gwen. It was borne by two 5th-century Cornish saints.

Combination of Wesley and Lyn.

Dutch and German feminine form of Wilhelm. This name was borne by a queen of the Netherlands (1880-1962).

Means "bright, radiant, brilliant" in Burmese.

Means "firstborn daughter" in Dakota or Lakota. According to folklore, this was the name of a daughter of a Dakota chief (possibly Wapasha III) who leapt from a cliff to her death rather than marry a man she hated. Numerous places in the United States have been named after her. The actress Winona Ryder (1971-) was named after the city in Minnesota where she was born.

Means "hero" in Indonesian and Malay, ultimately from Sanskrit वीर (vīra).

From the name of the flowering plant, which was named for the American anatomist Caspar Wistar.

From the English word for the small songbird. It is ultimately derived from Old English wrenna.

The name of a 6th Century Cornish saint.

Middle English form of the Old English name Wigmund, composed of the elements wig "battle" and mund "protection".

Derived from Welsh gwyn meaning "white, blessed".

Variant of Wyn.

Variant of Winona.

Cornish form of Breton Gwenole. St Wynwallow's Church, the parish church of Landewednack in Cornwall, England, is dedicated to Saint Gwenole or Winwaloe. Built of local serpentine stone, it is the most southerly church in mainland Britain and the church in which the last sermon in the Cornish language was preached, in 1674.

Variant of Wisteria.

Derived from the Basque place name Etxeberria meaning "the new house". This was the surname of the Jesuit priest Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552) who was born in a village by this name. He was a missionary to India, Japan, China, and other areas in East Asia, and he is the patron saint of the Orient and missionaries. His surname has since been adopted as a given name in his honour, chiefly among Catholics.

From Chinese 夏 (xià) meaning "summer, great, grand", 霞 (xiá) meaning "rosy clouds", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.

From Chinese 欣 (xīn) meaning "happy, joyous, delighted" or 心 (xīn) meaning "heart, mind, soul" combined with 怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.

From Chinese 秀 (xiù) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding" or other characters that are pronounced similarly.

From Chinese 璇 (xuán) meaning "beautiful jade", 选 (xuǎn) meaning "choose, pick, select", 轩 (xuān) meaning "tall, high, lofty, pavilion", 玄 (xuán) meaning "deep, profound, mysterious, dark, black" or 萱 (xuān) meaning "day lily". Other character combinations can form this name as well.

From Chinese 雪 (xuě) meaning "snow" or 学 (xué) meaning "study, learning, school", besides other characters pronounced similarly.

From Chinese 雪 (xuě) meaning "snow" or 学 (xué) meaning "study, learning, school" combined with 梅 (méi) meaning "plum, apricot" or 妹 (mèi) meaning "younger sister, girl". Other character combinations can form this name as well.

From a surname, which was an Americanized form of the Dutch surname Jansen meaning "Jan 1's son".

This name combines 弥/彌 (bi, mi, amaneshi, iya, iyoiyo, tooi, hisashi, hisa.shii, ya, wata.ru) meaning "increase," 八 (hachi, ya, ya(t).tsu, you) meaning "eight" or 也 (e, ya, ka, nari, mata), referring to nari, the classical form of "to be," with 生 (shou, sei, i.kiru, i.keru, -u, u.mare, o.u, ki, na.ru, ha.eru, yoi) meaning "birth, genuine, life."
The kanji 代 (tai, dai, ka.eru, ka.waru, kawa.ru, -gawa.ri, -ga.wari, shiro, yo), which means "age, generation," can be added in between 弥/彌 or 八.

As a word, Yayoi (弥生) is used as the traditional name for the month of March. It's also used as a name of a period of Japanese history going from around 300BC to 300AD, originally made up of 弥 (ya) and 生 (oi), which would literally mean "thick growth" when referring to, for example, grass.

Russian form of Helen.

Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 陽子 or 洋子 (see Yōko).

Derived from Cornish ysel "modest". This is a recently coined Cornish name.

From Japanese 弓 (yumi) meaning "archery bow". It can also come from 由 (yu) meaning "reason, cause", 友 (yu) meaning "friend" or a nanori reading of 弓 (yu) meaning "archery bow" combined with 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other kanji or kanji combinations are also possible.

From Japanese 優 (yū) meaning "excellence, superiority, gentleness" or 柚 (yū) meaning "grapefruit, pomelo, citrus fruit" combined with 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens" or 奈 (na), a phonetic character. Other combinations of kanji are also possible.

French feminine form of Yves.

French feminine form of Yvon. It has been regularly used in the English-speaking world since the late 19th century.

Means "fate, destiny" in Mongolian.

Short form of Griselda. This is the name of a princess in the Legend of Zelda video games, debuting in 1986 and called ゼルダ (Zeruda) in Japanese. According to creator Shigeru Miyamoto she was named after the American socialite Zelda Fitzgerald (1900-1948).

Means "dawn, aurora" in the South Slavic languages, as well as Czech and Slovak.

Means "beautiful" in Swahili.