ANB's Personal Name List

Means "noble" in Hebrew.

Variation of Adde.

Form of Hadrianus (see Hadrian) used in several languages. Several saints and six popes have borne this name, including the only English pope, Adrian IV, and the only Dutch pope, Adrian VI. As an English name, it has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it was not popular until modern times.

Means "flock of God" in Hebrew, from עֵדֶר (ʿeḏer) meaning "flock, herd" and אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In the Old Testament this is the name of a man who married Saul's daughter Merab.

Feminine form of Adriel.

From Japanese 昭 (akira) meaning "bright", 明 (akira) meaning "bright" or 亮 (akira) meaning "clear". Other kanji with the same pronunciation can also form this name. A famous bearer was the Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998), given name written 明.

Variant of Alayah. It coincides with a Buddhist term (meaning "dwelling" in Sanskrit), which refers to the eighth level of human consciousness.

Alternate transcription of Arabic علياء (see Alya 1), عالية (see Aaliyah) or عليّة (see Aliya 1).

Variant of Olivia.

Variant of Alira.

From the middle of the 20th century this has primarily been used as a variant of the feminine name Alison 1. However, prior to that it was used as an uncommon masculine name, derived from the English and Scottish surname Allison.

Derived from Sanskrit अमल (amala) meaning "clean, pure".

Short form of Germanic names beginning with the element amal. This element means "unceasing, vigorous, brave", or it can refer to the Gothic dynasty of the Amali (derived from the same root).

This was another name for the 7th-century saint Amalberga of Maubeuge.

Means "grace" in Igbo.

Blend of Amber and Brielle, or a feminine form of Ambriel.

From Japanese 阿 (a) meaning "big mound", 芽 (me) meaning "bud, sprout, shoot", 莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine, Asian pear" combined with 阿 (a), again meaning "big mound". Other kanji combinations are possible.

Usage of this name is, most likely, influenced by the name Amelia.

Maori form of Amelia.

Possibly derived from the Sanskrit word अमाय (amaya) meaning "free from deceit, guileless". A noted (male) bearer was Amiya Chandra Chakravarty (1901-1986), an Indian literary critic, academic and Bengali poet.

Apparently a modern coinage based on Latin amor meaning "love".

English and Galician form of Anaïs and Spanish and Catalan variant of Anaís.

English form of the Greek name Ἀνδρέας (Andreas), which was derived from ἀνδρεῖος (andreios) meaning "manly, masculine", a derivative of ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man". In the New Testament the apostle Andrew, the first disciple to join Jesus, is the brother of Simon Peter. According to tradition, he later preached in the Black Sea region, with some legends saying he was crucified on an X-shaped cross. Andrew, being a Greek name, was probably only a nickname or a translation of his real Hebrew name, which is not known.

This name has been common (in various spellings) throughout the Christian world, and it became very popular in the Middle Ages. Saint Andrew is regarded as the patron of Scotland, Russia, Greece and Romania. The name has been borne by three kings of Hungary, American president Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), and, more recently, English composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (1948-).

Feminine form of Angelus (see Angel). As an English name, it came into use in the 18th century. A notable bearer is the former German chancellor Angela Merkel (1954-).

Variant of Aniyah.

Medieval Scottish name, probably a variant of Annabel. It has long been associated with Latin orabilis meaning "invokable, yielding to prayer", and the name was often recorded in forms resembling this.

Unrelated, this was an older name of the city of Irbid in Jordan, from Greek Ἄρβηλα (Arbela).

Means "altar of the sky" from Latin ara "altar" and coeli "sky". This is an epithet of the Virgin Mary in her role as the patron saint of Lucena, Spain.

From an English surname, originally taken from various place names, which were derived from a Celtic word meaning "high".

Strictly feminine form of Ariel.

From Japanese 亜 (a) meaning "second, Asia", 莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine", 璃 (ri) meaning "glassy, lapis lazuli", 鈴 (ri) meaning "bell" or 可 (ari) meaning "passable", 光 (ari) meaning "light" or 有 (ari) meaning "exist" combined with 菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other combinations of kanji are also possible.

Usage of this name is, most likely, influenced by the name Alina.

Famous bearer of this name is Japanese actress Arina Watanabe, known for Flying Rabbits (2008) and 3-nen B-gumi Kinpachi Sensei (1979).

Modern Greek form of Ares. It is also used as a short form of Aristotelis.

Feminine form of Aris.

Meaning uncertain. It was perhaps inspired by the fictional place name Arlo Hill from the poem The Faerie Queene (1590) by Edmund Spenser. Spenser probably got Arlo by altering the real Irish place name Aherlow, meaning "between two highlands".

Means "reddish brown, dawn" in Sanskrit. The Hindu god Aruna (अरुण) is the charioteer who drives the sun god Surya across the sky. The modern feminine form अरुणा (spelled with a final long vowel) is also transcribed as Aruna, however the modern masculine form is Arun.

Variant of Avelina 1.

Modern Hebrew form of Abijah.

Probably an elaboration of Ava 1, influenced by names such as Ariana. In some cases it could be inspired by the word avian meaning "bird" or "related to birds, bird-like".

Derived from the Old German element awi, of unknown meaning. Rarely, this name may be given in honour of the 16th-century mystic Saint Teresa of Ávila, Ávila being the name of the town in Spain where she was born.

Feminine variant of Aviv.

Variant of Azalea. It could also be inspired by the biblical name Azaliah.

A known bearer of this name is Azalia Snail, an American avant-garde singer-songwriter and musician.

Means "beautiful rose" in French.

From an Old Testament place name meaning "house of God" in Hebrew. This was a town north of Jerusalem, where Jacob saw his vision of the stairway. It is occasionally used as a given name.

Variant of Brianne or Brian.

Variant of Briana. This is currently the more popular spelling of the name.

Short form of Gabriella.

Variant of Briana.

Variant of Briana.

Variant of Britton.

Feminine form of Callistus. As an English name it might also be a variant of Kallisto.

Variant of Cambrie.

Latin form of the Welsh Cymru, the Welsh name for the country of Wales, derived from cymry meaning "the people". It is occasionally used as a given name in modern times.

From camelie, the Romanian spelling of camellia (see Camellia).

Corsican form Camilla.

From Latin cara meaning "dear, beloved" and bella meaning "beautiful".

Combination of Cara and Beth.

Variant of Carolyn.

Late Latin name derived from cara meaning "dear, beloved". This was the name of a 4th-century saint and martyr. It is also the name of a constellation in the southern sky, though in this case it means "keel" in Latin, referring to a part of Jason's ship the Argo.

Variant of Carissa.

Variant of Charissa.

Spanish and Portuguese form of Charles.

Town and county in Ireland. Possibly means "place of cattle".

Variant of Carmen.

From a Scottish surname of uncertain meaning. A famous bearer of the surname was the American scout Kit Carson (1809-1868).

An invented name, based on the sound of names such as Mason and Jason. It also coincides with the English surname Cason.

Latinate feminine form of Caelestinus.

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

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

From the Late Greek name Χριστόφορος (Christophoros) meaning "bearing Christ", derived from Χριστός (Christos) combined with φέρω (phero) meaning "to bear, to carry". Early Christians used it as a metaphorical name, expressing that they carried Christ in their hearts. In the Middle Ages, literal interpretations of the name's etymology led to legends about a Saint Christopher who carried the young Jesus across a river. He has come to be regarded as the patron saint of travellers.

As an English given name, Christopher has been in general use since the 15th century. It became very popular in the second half of the 20th century, reaching the top of the charts for England and Wales in the 1980s, and nearing it in the United States.

In Denmark this name was borne by three kings (their names are usually spelled Christoffer), including the 15th-century Christopher of Bavaria who also ruled Norway and Sweden. Other famous bearers include Italian explorer Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), English playwright Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593), English architect Christopher Wren (1632-1723) and the fictional character Christopher Robin from A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh books.

Means "ancient, enduring" in Irish. In Irish mythology this was the name of the father of Lugh Lámfada. It was also borne by the mythical ancestor of the Ciannachta and by a son-in-law of Brian Boru.

Anglicized form of Ciarán.

Latinate form of Clarice. This is the name of the title character in a 1748 novel by Samuel Richardson. In the novel Clarissa Harlowe is a virtuous woman who is tragically exploited by her family and her lover. Another literary character by this name is Clarissa Dalloway from the novel Mrs. Dalloway (1925) by Virginia Woolf.

Combination of Cora and Belle.

Either a French form of Koralia, or a derivative of Latin corallium "coral" (see Coral).

Variant of Coraline.

Romanian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Corinna, as well as a German variant.

Feminine form of Corvinus.

Derived from Spanish cristalina, "crystalline".

Feminine form of Dacian.

Combination of Dale and the popular name suffix lyn, probably based on similar-sounding names such as Kaylyn, Raelyn and Shaelyn.

From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "valley town" in Old English. A notable bearer of the surname was John Dalton (1766-1844), the English chemist and physicist who theorized about the existence of atoms.

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

Probably an elaborated form of Darren.

Italian form of Darius.

Variant of Elorria.

Variant of Amelia.

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

From an English surname meaning "son of Emery". The surname was borne by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American writer and philosopher who wrote about transcendentalism.

Norman French form of Emmerich. The Normans introduced it to England, and though it was never popular, it survived until the end of the Middle Ages. As a modern given name, now typically feminine, it is likely inspired by the surname Emery, which was itself derived from the medieval given name. It can also be given in reference to the hard black substance called emery.

Variant form of Estera attested in Bosnian Sephardic communities.

Spanish form of Stella 1, coinciding with the Spanish word meaning "star".

Elaboration of Evie with popular suffix -enne.

Variant of Felina.

Masculine form of Farina.

In the case of Farin Urlaub (stage name of the lead singer of the German punk rock band Die Ärzte) it is a pun (literally Fahr in Urlaub "Travel on vacation").

From Irish fiann meaning "band of warriors".

Variant of Finola.

From Italian fiore "flower" combined with a diminutive suffix.

From the Roman cognomen Florianus, a derivative of Florus. This was the name of a short-lived Roman emperor of the 3rd century, Marcus Annius Florianus. It was also borne by Saint Florian, a martyr of the 3rd century, the patron saint of Poland and Upper Austria.

Feminine form of Florianus (see Florian).

Means "harmony, agreement" in Greek. She was the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, given by Zeus to Cadmus to be his wife.

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Iain, itself from Latin Iohannes (see John). It became popular in the United Kingdom outside of Scotland in the first half of the 20th century, but did not begin catching on in America until the 1960s.

Form of Irene in several languages.

Spanish and Portuguese variant of Ismeria.

19th-century elaboration of Jale.

Variant of Jazlyn.

From a Frankish masculine name, variously written as Gaudelenus, Gautselin, Gauzlin, along with many other spellings. It was derived from the Germanic element *gautaz, which was from the name of the Germanic tribe the Geats, combined with a Latin diminutive suffix. The Normans brought this name to England in the form Goscelin or Joscelin, and it was common until the 14th century. It was revived in the 20th century primarily as a feminine name, perhaps an adaptation of the surname Jocelyn (a medieval derivative of the given name). In France this is a masculine name only.

From the English word for the type of tree, derived ultimately from Latin iuniperus.

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

Polish, Russian and Croatian form of Calista.

In modern Greek Κάλλια (Kallia) can function as a short form of Kalliopi or Kallirroi.

Καλλία (Kallia) is recorded as an ancient Greek name; it may have been a feminine form of Kallias.

Belarusian form of Caroline.

Derived from the given name Zechariah.

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

Feminine form of Karl, Karel or Karlo.

Slovene, Croatian and Estonian form of Carmen.

Variant of Cason.

Variant of Catalina.

Form of Katherine in several languages.

Possibly a combination of the popular phonetic elements kay and da.

From an English surname that was derived from a few different place names (see the surname Keaton).

Variant of Kelly.

Anglicized form of the Irish given name Ceallach or the surname derived from it Ó Ceallaigh. As a surname, it has been borne by actor and dancer Gene Kelly (1912-1996) and actress and princess Grace Kelly (1929-1982).

As a given name it was mostly masculine before 1940, but it rose in popularity as a name for girls during the 40s and 50s, probably due both to Grace Kelly (who married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956) and a female character on the 1957 television series Bachelor Father [1]. By the end of the 1970s it was on the decline.

Variant spelling of Kendall.

Variant of Ciara 1 or Chiara. This name was brought to public attention in 1988 after the singing duo Kiara released their song This Time. It was further popularized by a character in the animated movie The Lion King II (1998).

Anglicized form of Ciara 1.

From the name of the city of Kimberley in South Africa, which was named after Lord Kimberley (1826-1902). The city came to prominence in the late 19th century during the Boer War. Kimberly has been used as a given name since the mid-20th century, eventually becoming very popular as a feminine name.

Variant of Keanna or Kiana 2 or a feminine form of Kian 2.

Elaborated form of Kyrie 2.

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.

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.

Meaning unknown, possibly an elaboration of Lara 1, a variant of Liora, or a combination of the two. Dr. Liara T'Soni is a fictional character in BioWare's Mass Effect franchise, who serves as a party member (or "squadmate") in the original Mass Effect trilogy, first released in 2007.

Combination of the phonetic elements lee, en and a, probably based on the sounds found in names such as Liana, Sienna, Lenna and Elena.

Variant of Leona.

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

Means "from Lydia" in Greek. Lydia was a region on the west coast of Asia Minor, said to be named for the legendary king Lydos. In the New Testament this is the name of a woman converted to Christianity by Saint Paul. In the modern era the name has been in use since the Protestant Reformation.

Variant of Lydia, occasionally used in Norway as a masculine form. In some cases it may be directly from the word which means "of ancient Lydia" (and also refers to "a mode of ancient Greek music, reputed to be light and effeminate").

Elaborated form of Lydia, or variant of Lydianne. It may have been inspired by the word Lydian (compare Lydian) or the similar name Dianna.

Variant of Lydiane.

From the English word magnolia for the flower, which was named for the French botanist Pierre Magnol.

From the Hebrew name מַלְאָכִי (Malʾaḵi) meaning "my messenger" or "my angel", derived from a possessive form of מַלְאָךְ (malʾaḵ) meaning "messenger, angel". This is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, the author of the Book of Malachi, which some claim foretells the coming of Christ. In England the name came into use after the Protestant Reformation.

Feminine form of Malcolm.

Variant spelling of Melissa.

The origin is English and it means golden flower.

Variant of Mariah.

Variant of Mara with diminutive -lina.

Variant of Marilyn.

Combination of Maria and Anna. It can also be regarded as a variant of the Roman name Mariana, or as a Latinized form of Mariamne.

Variant of Marisa.

Variant of Marlena.

Combination of Mary and Beth.

Combination of Mary and Grace.

Possibly a variant of Majella or a combination of May and Ella 1.

Harper Lee used this name in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960).

Hispanic variant of Myra.

Feminine form of Milan. It began to be used in Italy in honour of Milena Vukotić (1847-1923), mother of Helen of Montenegro, the wife of the Italian king Victor Emmanuel III. In Italy it can also be considered a combination of Maria and Elena.

Latinate form of Mirabelle.

Transferred use of the surname Morrison. A famous bearer of the surname was Jim Morrison (1943-1971), lead singer of American rock band The Doors.

Variant of Nerissa.

Variant of Nevaeh.

Diminutive of Nell and other names containing nel.

Variant of Nydia.

From an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Ó Nualláin, itself derived from the given name Nuallán. The baseball player Nolan Ryan (1947-) is a famous bearer. This name has climbed steadily in popularity since the 1970s.

From the name of an ancient town of Asia Minor where Saint Gregory was bishop in the 4th century. Nyssa is also the genus name of a type of tree, also called the Tupelo.

Variant of Oline.

Possibly derived from Latin aurum "gold" or from its derivatives, Spanish oro or French or. In medieval legend Oriana was the daughter of a king of England who married the knight Amadis.

Anglicized form of Owain.

From the Greek Φαίδρα (Phaidra), derived from φαιδρός (phaidros) meaning "bright". Phaedra was the daughter of Minos and the wife of Theseus in Greek mythology. Aphrodite caused her to fall in love with her stepson Hippolytos, and after she was rejected by him she killed herself.

Variant of Rosabel.

Variant of Rosabel.

Variant of Rosalie.

Late Latin name derived from rosa "rose". This was the name of a 12th-century Sicilian saint.

Latinate form of Rosaline.

Variant of Rosaline. It can also be considered an elaboration of Rose with the common name suffix lyn.

Combination of Rosa 1 and Anna.

Variant of Rosanna.

Italian diminutive of Rosa 1.

Variant of Rosalyn.

Combination of Rose and Mary. This name can also be given in reference to the herb, which gets its name from Latin ros marinus meaning "dew of the sea". It came into use as a given name in the 19th century.

Italian diminutive of Rosa 1. This is the name of a character in Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville (1816).

Variant of Reuben.

An invented name, blending the popular phonetic prefix ry and the name Wyatt. It could also be considered a variant of Riot, which is pronounced identically.

Possibly derived from the name of the city of Samarra (in Iraq) or Samara (in Russia). The former appears in the title of the novel Appointment in Samarra (1934) by John O'Hara, which refers to an ancient Babylonian legend about a man trying to evade death. Alternatively, this name could be derived from the word for the winged seeds that grow on trees such as maples and elms.

The name received a boost in popularity after it was borne by the antagonist in the horror movie The Ring (2002).

Modern name, possibly based on Saray (see Sarai), Sariah or Soraya.

Italian variant of Sabina.

From the English word meaning "serenity, tranquility", ultimately from Latin serenus meaning "clear, calm".

From the English word meaning "orange-red". It is ultimately from the name of the city of Siena in Italy, because of the colour of the clay there.

Meaning unknown, perhaps related to Old Norse stilling "calm", or perhaps of German origin.

Either a variant of Silvanus or directly from the Latin word silva meaning "wood, forest".

From an English surname meaning "tiler of roofs", derived from Old English tigele "tile". The surname was borne by American president John Tyler (1790-1862).

Feminine form of Valerius. This was the name of a 2nd-century Roman saint and martyr.

Variant transliteration of Варя (see Varya).

Possibly a variant of Varinia. This name was most notably borne by Varina Davis (1826-1906), the second wife of Jefferson Davis and the First Lady of the Confederate States of America.

Variant of Veralynn. Combination of Vera and Lyn.

Variant of Verena.

Latinate form of Vianne.

Meaning unknown, perhaps a combination of Vi and Anne 1 or a short form of Vivianne.

From the name of the capital city of Austria, Vienna.

Possibly a variant of Fiona influenced by Viola.

Feminine form of Vivius.

From the Latin name Vivianus, which was derived from Latin vivus "alive". Saint Vivian was a French bishop who provided protection during the Visigoth invasion of the 5th century. It has been occasionally used as an English (masculine) name since the Middle Ages. In modern times it is also used as a feminine name, in which case it is either an Anglicized form of Bébinn or a variant of Vivien 2.

Variant of Viviana and Viviána.

Italian variant of Wivina.

Elaboration of Wren using the popular name suffix ley.

Variant of Xavion.

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.

Bulgarian and Macedonian feminine form of Zechariah.

Variant of Zanden.

Means "fate, destiny" in Mongolian.

Perhaps a variant of Xiana. This name is borne by Malaysian pop singer Ziana Zain (1968-), in whose case it is a short form of Roziana (her real name being Siti Roziana binti Zain).

From the name of the flower, which was itself named for the German botanist Johann Zinn.

Derived from Zora.

Variant of Zian.