MaeAlexis's Personal Name List
Aether
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Αἰθήρ(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Latinized form of Greek
Αἰθήρ (Aither) meaning
"ether, heaven", derived from
αἴθω (aitho) meaning "to burn, to ignite". In Greek
mythology this was the name of the god of light and the upper sky.
Alodia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Gothic (Latinized)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Possibly from a Visigothic name, maybe from Gothic elements such as
alls "all" or
aljis "other" combined with
auds "riches, wealth".
Saint Alodia was a 9th-century Spanish martyr with her sister Nunilo.
Amabilis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Roman
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Late Latin name meaning
"lovable".
Saint Amabilis was a 5th-century priest in Riom, central France.
Angelise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ann-gel-lease
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Anya
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, English
Other Scripts: Аня(Russian)
Pronounced: A-nyə(Russian) AN-yə(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Asa
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: אָסָא(Hebrew)
Pronounced: AY-sə(English)
Rating: 0% based on 2 votes
Possibly means
"healer" in Hebrew. This name was borne by the third king of Judah, as told in the
Old Testament.
Ashley
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ASH-lee
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From an English surname that was originally derived from place names meaning
"ash tree clearing", from a combination of Old English
æsc and
leah. Until the 1960s it was more commonly given to boys in the United States, but it is now most often used on girls. It reached its height of popularity in America in 1987, but it did not become the highest ranked name until 1991, being overshadowed by the likewise-popular
Jessica until then. In the United Kingdom it is still more common as a masculine name.
Aspen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: AS-pən
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the English word for a variety of deciduous trees in the genus Populus, derived from Old English æspe. It is also the name of a ski resort in Colorado.
Asra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: أسرى(Arabic)
Pronounced: AS-ra
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Means "travel at night" in Arabic.
Aurélie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: O-REH-LEE
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Blanca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Catalan
Pronounced: BLANG-ka(Spanish) BLANG-kə(Catalan)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Blanche
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: BLAHNSH(French) BLANCH(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From a medieval French nickname meaning
"white, fair-coloured". This word and its cognates in other languages are ultimately derived from the Germanic word *
blankaz. An early bearer was the 12th-century Blanca of Navarre, the wife of Sancho III of Castile. Her granddaughter of the same name married Louis VIII of France, with the result that the name became more common in France.
Bridget
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: BRIJ-it(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Anglicized form of the Irish name
Brighid, Old Irish
Brigit, from old Celtic *
Brigantī meaning
"the exalted one". In Irish
mythology this was the name of the goddess of fire, poetry and wisdom, the daughter of the god
Dagda. In the 5th century it was borne by
Saint Brigid, the founder of a monastery at Kildare and a patron saint of Ireland. Because of the saint, the name was considered sacred in Ireland, and it did not come into general use there until the 17th century. In the form
Birgitta this name has been common in Scandinavia, made popular by the 14th-century Saint Birgitta of Sweden, patron saint of Europe.
Cade
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAYD
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From an English surname that was originally derived from a nickname meaning "round" in Old English.
Camille
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: KA-MEE(French) kə-MEEL(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
French feminine and masculine form of
Camilla. It is also used in the English-speaking world, where it is generally only feminine.
Carys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: KA-ris
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Derived from Welsh caru meaning "love". This is a relatively modern Welsh name, in common use only since the middle of the 20th century.
Cedric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SEHD-rik
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Invented by Walter Scott for a character in his novel
Ivanhoe (1819). Apparently he based it on the actual name
Cerdic, the name of the semi-legendary founder of the kingdom of Wessex in the 6th century. The meaning of
Cerdic is uncertain, but it does not appear to be Old English in origin. It could be connected to the Brythonic name
Caratācos. The name was also used by Frances Hodgson Burnett for the main character in her novel
Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886).
Chiara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: KYA-ra
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Italian form of
Clara.
Saint Chiara (commonly called
Clare in English) was a follower of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Chione
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Χιόνη(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From Greek
χιών (chion) meaning
"snow". In Greek
mythology this is the name of a daughter of the north wind
Boreas. Another figure by this name is the daughter of the naiad
Callirrhoe who was transformed into a snow cloud.
Claire
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: KLEHR
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
French form of
Clara. This was a common name in France throughout the 20th century, though it has since been eclipsed there by
Clara. It was also very popular in the United Kingdom, especially in the 1970s.
Clarence
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLAR-əns, KLEHR-əns
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From the Latin title Clarensis, which belonged to members of the British royal family. The title ultimately derives from the name of the town of Clare in Suffolk. As a given name it has been in use since the 19th century.
Clarity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: KLAR-i-tee
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Simply means "clarity, lucidity" from the English word, ultimately from Latin clarus "clear".
Claudie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: KLO-DEE
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
French feminine variant of
Claude.
Clem
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLEHM
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Clemence
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLEHM-əns
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Feminine form of
Clementius (see
Clement). It has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it became rare after the 17th century.
Connie
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAHN-ee
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Crystal
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KRIS-təl
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the English word
crystal for the clear, colourless glass, sometimes cut into the shape of a gemstone. The English word derives ultimately from Greek
κρύσταλλος (krystallos) meaning "ice". It has been in use as a given name since the 19th century.
Cynthia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κυνθία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: SIN-thee-ə(English) SEEN-TYA(French)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Latinized form of Greek
Κυνθία (Kynthia), which means
"woman from Cynthus". This was an epithet of the Greek moon goddess
Artemis, given because Cynthus was the mountain on Delos on which she and her twin brother
Apollo were born. It was not used as a given name until the Renaissance, and it did not become common in the English-speaking world until the 19th century. It reached a peak of popularity in the United States in 1957 and has declined steadily since then.
Darby
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAHR-bee
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From an English surname, which was derived from the name of the town of Derby, itself from Old Norse djúr "animal" and býr "farm, settlement".
Dixie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DIK-see
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From the term that refers to the southern United States, used by Daniel D. Emmett in his song Dixie in 1859. The term may be derived from French dix "ten", which was printed on ten-dollar bills issued from a New Orleans bank. Alternatively it may come from the term Mason-Dixon Line, the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland.
Dorian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, Romanian
Pronounced: DAWR-ee-ən(English) DAW-RYAHN(French)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
The name was first used by Oscar Wilde in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), which tells the story of a man whose portrait ages while he stays young. Wilde may have taken it from the name of the ancient Greek tribe the Dorians.
Doris
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Danish, Croatian, Ancient Greek [1], Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Δωρίς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DAWR-is(English) DO-ris(German)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From the Greek name
Δωρίς (Doris), which meant
"Dorian woman". The Dorians were a Greek tribe who occupied the Peloponnese starting in the 12th century BC. In Greek
mythology Doris was a sea nymph, one of the many children of Oceanus and Tethys. It began to be used as an English name in the 19th century. A famous bearer is the American actress Doris Day (1924-2019).
Edie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EE-dee
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Eirlys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: AYR-lis
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means
"snowdrop (flower)" in Welsh, a compound of
eira "snow" and
llys "plant".
Eloise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-o-eez, ehl-o-EEZ
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
From the Old French name
Héloïse, which was probably from the Germanic name
Helewidis, composed of the elements
heil meaning "healthy, whole" and
wit meaning "wide". It is sometimes associated with the Greek word
ἥλιος (helios) meaning "sun" or the name
Louise, though there is no etymological connection. This name was borne by the 12th-century French scholar and philosopher Héloïse. Secretly marrying the theologian Peter Abelard at a young age, she became a nun (and eventually an abbess) after Abelard was violently castrated by order of her uncle Fulbert.
There was a medieval English form of this name, Helewis, though it died out after the 13th century. In the 19th century it was revived in the English-speaking world in the form Eloise.
Elwood
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-wuwd
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From an English surname that was derived from a place name meaning "elder tree forest" in Old English.
Emrys
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: EHM-ris
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Welsh form of
Ambrose. Emrys Wledig (or Ambrosius Aurelianus) was a Romano-British military leader who fought against the invading Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century. Tales of his life were used by the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth to help shape the early character of
Merlin, whom he called Merlinus Ambrosius in Latin.
Enid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English, Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: EH-nid(Welsh) EE-nid(English)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
Probably derived from Welsh
enaid meaning
"soul, spirit, life". In Arthurian tales she first appears in the 12th-century French poem
Erec and Enide by Chrétien de Troyes, where she is the wife of Erec. In later adaptations she is typically the wife of
Geraint. The name became more commonly used after the publication of Alfred Tennyson's Arthurian poem
Enid in 1859, and it was fairly popular in Britain in the first half of the 20th century.
Erin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Irish
Pronounced: EHR-in(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Anglicized form of
Éireann. It was initially used by people of Irish heritage in America, Canada and Australia. It was rare until the mid-1950s.
Eris
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἔρις(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EHR-is(English)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
Means
"strife, discord" in Greek. In Greek
mythology Eris was the goddess of discord. She was the sister and companion of
Ares.
Esther
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: אֶסְתֵר(Hebrew) Ἐσθήρ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: EHS-tər(English, Dutch) EHS-TEHR(French) ehs-TEHR(Spanish) EHS-tu(German)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From the Hebrew name
אֶסְתֵר (ʾEsṯer), which possibly means
"star" in Persian. Alternatively it could be a derivative of the name of the Near Eastern goddess
Ishtar. The Book of Esther in the
Old Testament tells the story of Queen Esther, the Jewish wife of the king of Persia. The king's advisor
Haman persuaded the king to exterminate all the Jews in the realm. Warned of this plot by her cousin
Mordecai, Esther revealed her Jewish ancestry and convinced the king to execute Haman instead. Her original Hebrew name was
Hadassah.
This name has been used in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. In America it received a boost in popularity after the birth of Esther Cleveland (1893-1980), the daughter of President Grover Cleveland [1].
Euanthe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Εὐάνθη(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 0% based on 1 vote
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.
Evelyn
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English, German
Pronounced: EHV-ə-lin(English) EEV-lin(British English) EEV-ə-lin(British English) EH-və-leen(German)
Rating: 100% based on 1 vote
From an English surname that was derived from the given name
Aveline. In the 17th century when it was first used as a given name it was more common for boys, but it is now regarded as almost entirely feminine, probably in part because of its similarity to
Eve and
Evelina.
This name was popular throughout the English-speaking world in the early 20th century. It staged a comeback in the early 21st century, returning to the American top ten in 2017.
Evie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EE-vee, EHV-ee
Personal remark: baby bird vibes for no discernible reason
Fay
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FAY
In part from the English word
fay meaning
"fairy", derived from Middle English
faie meaning "magical, enchanted", ultimately (via Old French) from Latin
fata meaning "the Fates". It appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's chronicles in the name of
Morgan le Fay. In some cases it may be used as a short form of
Faith. It has been used as a feminine given name since the 19th century.
As a rarer (but older) masculine name it is probably derived from a surname: see Fay 1 or Fay 2.
Felis
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Medieval Breton, Aragonese
Breton and Aragonese form of
Felix.
Félix
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian
Pronounced: FEH-LEEKS(French) FEH-leeks(Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian)
French, Spanish, Portuguese and Hungarian form of
Felix.
Fia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: fyee-ə
Allegedly derived from Irish fia "deer" (via Old Irish fíad "wild animals, game, especially deer", ultimately from fid "wood").
Fidelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: fee-DHEH-lya
Feminine form of
Fidel. It appears in the epic poem
The Faerie Queene (1590) belonging to the sister of
Speranza.
Finn 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch, German
Pronounced: FIN(Danish)
Personal remark: either one
From the Old Norse name Finnr, which meant "Sámi, person from Finland".
Florence
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: FLAWR-əns(English) FLAW-RAHNS(French)
From the Latin name
Florentius or the feminine form
Florentia, which were derived from
florens "prosperous, flourishing".
Florentius was borne by many early Christian
saints, and it was occasionally used in their honour through the Middle Ages. In modern times it is mostly feminine.
This name can also be given in reference to the city in Italy, as in the case of Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), who was born there to British parents. She was a nurse in military hospitals during the Crimean War and is usually considered the founder of modern nursing.
Frances
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FRAN-sis
Feminine form of
Francis. The distinction between
Francis as a masculine name and
Frances as a feminine name did not arise until the 17th century
[1]. A notable bearer was
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917), a social worker and the first American to be canonized.
Gabriel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Catalan, English, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: გაბრიელ(Georgian) גַּבְרִיאֵל(Ancient Hebrew) Γαβριήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: GA-BREE-YEHL(French) ga-BRYEHL(Spanish) ga-bree-EHL(European Portuguese, Romanian) ga-bree-EW(Brazilian Portuguese) GA-bree-ehl(German, Slovak, Latin) GAH-bri-ehl(Swedish) GAH-bree-ehl(Finnish) gə-bree-EHL(Catalan) GAY-bree-əl(English) GAB-ryehl(Polish) GA-bri-yehl(Czech)
From the Hebrew name
גַבְרִיאֵל (Ḡavriʾel) meaning
"God is my strong man", derived from
גֶּבֶר (gever) meaning "strong man, hero" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Gabriel is an archangel in Hebrew tradition, often appearing as a messenger of God. In the
Old Testament he is sent to interpret the visions of the prophet
Daniel, while in the
New Testament he serves as the announcer of the births of
John to
Zechariah and
Jesus to
Mary. According to Islamic tradition he was the angel who dictated the
Quran to
Muhammad.
This name has been used occasionally in England since the 12th century. It was not common in the English-speaking world until the end of the 20th century.
Gabrielle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: GA-BREE-YEHL(French) gab-ree-EHL(English)
French feminine form of
Gabriel. This was the real name of French fashion designer Coco Chanel (1883-1971).
Gideon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew, English, Dutch
Other Scripts: גִּדְעוֹן(Hebrew)
Pronounced: GID-ee-ən(English) GHEE-deh-awn(Dutch)
From the Hebrew name
גִּדְעוֹן (Giḏʿon) meaning
"feller, hewer", derived from
גָּדַע (gaḏaʿ) meaning "to cut, to hew"
[1]. Gideon is a hero and judge of the
Old Testament. He led the vastly outnumbered Israelites against the Midianites, defeated them, and killed their two kings. In the English-speaking world,
Gideon has been used as a given name since the
Protestant Reformation, and it was popular among the
Puritans.
Gwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: GWEHN
From Welsh
gwen, the feminine form of
gwyn meaning "white, blessed". It can also be a short form of
Gwendolen,
Gwenllian and other names beginning with
Gwen.
Haizea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: ie-SEH-a
Means "wind" in Basque.
Harley
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAHR-lee
From an English surname that was derived from a place name, itself from Old English
hara "hare" or
hær "rock, heap of stones" and
leah "woodland, clearing". An American name for boys since the 19th century, it began to be used for girls after a character with the name began appearing on the soap opera
Guiding Light in 1987.
Harmony
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAHR-mə-nee
From the English word
harmony, ultimately deriving from Greek
ἁρμονία (harmonia).
Hilda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Spanish, Hungarian, Anglo-Saxon (Latinized), Germanic [1]
Pronounced: HIL-də(English) HIL-da(German, Dutch) EEL-da(Spanish) HEEL-daw(Hungarian)
Originally a short form of names containing the Old Frankish element
hildi, Old High German
hilt, Old English
hild meaning
"battle" (Proto-Germanic *
hildiz). The short form was used for both Old English and continental Germanic names.
Saint Hilda (or Hild) of Whitby was a 7th-century English saint and abbess. The name became rare in England during the later Middle Ages, but was revived in the 19th century.
Ira 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical
Other Scripts: עִירָא(Hebrew)
Pronounced: IE-rə(English)
Means
"watchful" in Hebrew. In the
Old Testament this is the name of King
David's priest. As an English Christian given name,
Ira began to be used after the
Protestant Reformation. In the 17th century the
Puritans brought it to America, where remained moderately common into the 20th century.
Iseult
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: i-SOOLT(English) i-ZOOLT(English) EE-ZUU(French)
The origins of this name are uncertain, though some Celtic roots have been suggested. It is possible that the name is ultimately Germanic, from a hypothetical name like *
Ishild, composed of the elements
is "ice" and
hilt "battle".
According to tales first recorded in Old French in the 12th century, Yseut or Ysolt was an Irish princess betrothed to King Mark of Cornwall. After accidentally drinking a love potion, she became the lover of his nephew Tristan. Their tragic story, which was set in the Arthurian world, was popular during the Middle Ages and the name became relatively common in England at that time. It was rare by the 19th century, though some interest was generated by Richard Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde (1865).
Isra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: إسراء(Arabic)
Pronounced: ees-RA
Means
"nocturnal journey" in Arabic, derived from
سرى (sarā) meaning "to travel by night". According to Islamic tradition, the
Isra was a miraculous journey undertaken by the Prophet
Muhammad.
Jasmine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: JAZ-min(English) ZHAS-MEEN(French)
From the English word for the climbing plant with fragrant flowers that is used for making perfumes. It is derived via Arabic from Persian
یاسمین (yāsamīn), which is also a Persian name. In the United States this name steadily grew in popularity from the 1970s, especially among African Americans
[1]. It reached a peak in the early 1990s shortly after the release of the animated Disney movie
Aladdin (1992), which featured a princess by this name.
Jasper
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch, Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Pronounced: JAS-pər(English) YAHS-pər(Dutch)
From Latin
Gaspar, perhaps from the Biblical Hebrew word
גִּזְבָּר (gizbar) meaning
"treasurer" [1], derived from Old Persian
ganzabarah. This name was traditionally assigned to one of the wise men (also known as the Magi, or three kings) who were said to have visited the newborn
Jesus. It has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world since the Middle Ages. The name can also be given in reference to the English word for the gemstone.
Jesse
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch, Finnish, Biblical
Other Scripts: יִשַׁי(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: JEHS-ee(English) YEH-sə(Dutch) YEHS-seh(Finnish)
From
Ἰεσσαί (Iessai), the Greek form of the Hebrew name
יִשַׁי (Yishai). This could be a derivative of the word
שַׁי (shai) meaning
"gift" or
יֵשׁ (yesh) meaning
"existence". In the
Old Testament Jesse is the father of King
David. It began to be used as an English given name after the
Protestant Reformation.
A famous bearer was Jesse James (1847-1882), an American outlaw who held up banks and stagecoaches. He was eventually shot by a fellow gang member for a reward. Another famous bearer was the American athlete Jesse Owens (1913-1980), whose real name was James Cleveland (or J. C.) Owens.
Jessie 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish [1], English
Pronounced: JEHS-ee(English)
Joyce
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JOIS
From the medieval masculine name
Josse, which was derived from the earlier
Iudocus, which was a Latinized form of the Breton name
Judoc meaning
"lord". The name belonged to a 7th-century Breton
saint, and Breton settlers introduced it to England after the
Norman Conquest. It became rare after the 14th century, but was later revived as a feminine name, perhaps because of similarity to the Middle English word
joise "to rejoice". This given name also became a surname, as in the case of the Irish novelist James Joyce (1882-1941).
Jude 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: JOOD(English)
Variant of
Judas. It is used in many English versions of the
New Testament to denote the second apostle named Judas, in order to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot. He was supposedly the author of the Epistle of Jude. In the English-speaking world,
Jude has occasionally been used as a given name since the time of the
Protestant Reformation.
Jules 1
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHUYL
French form of
Julius. A notable bearer of this name was the French novelist Jules Verne (1828-1905), author of
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and other works of science fiction.
June
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JOON
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.
Kitty
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KIT-ee
Kylie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KIE-lee
This name arose in Australia, where it is said to mean "boomerang" in the Australian Aboriginal language Nyungar. An early bearer was the author Kylie Tennant (1912-1988). It was among the most popular names in Australia in the 1970s and early 80s. It can also be considered a feminine form of
Kyle, or a combination of the popular sounds
ky and
lee, and it is likely in those capacities that it began to be used in America in the late 1970s. A famous bearer is the Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue (1968-).
Leslie
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LEHZ-lee, LEHS-lee
From a Scottish surname that was derived from a place in Aberdeenshire, probably from Gaelic leas celyn meaning "garden of holly". It has been used as a given name since the 19th century. In America it was more common as a feminine name after the 1940s.
Linnet
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: li-NEHT, LIN-it
Either a variant of
Lynette or else from the name of the small bird, a type of finch.
Luka
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Russian, Georgian, Old Church Slavic
Other Scripts: Лука(Serbian, Macedonian, Russian) ლუკა(Georgian) Лꙋка(Church Slavic)
Pronounced: LOO-ka(Croatian) LOO-KAH(Georgian)
Form of
Lucas (see
Luke) in several languages.
Lynn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIN
From an English surname that was derived from Welsh
llyn meaning
"lake". Before the start of the 20th century it was primarily used for boys, but it has since come to be more common for girls. In some cases it may be thought of as a short form of
Linda or names that end in
lyn or
line.
Mabel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAY-bəl
Medieval feminine form of
Amabilis. This spelling and
Amabel were common during the Middle Ages, though they became rare after the 15th century. It was revived in the 19th century after the publication of C. M. Yonge's 1854 novel
The Heir of Redclyffe [1], which featured a character named Mabel (as well as one named Amabel).
Madeleine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Swedish
Pronounced: MAD-LEHN(French) MAD-ə-lin(English) MAD-ə-lien(English) MAD-lin(English) mahd-eh-LEHN(Swedish)
Mae
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAY
Variant of
May. A famous bearer was the American actress Mae West (1893-1980), whose birth name was Mary.
Maeve
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: MAYV(English)
Anglicized form of the Irish name
Medb meaning
"intoxicating". In Irish legend this was the name of a warrior queen of Connacht. She and her husband
Ailill fought against the Ulster king
Conchobar and the hero
Cúchulainn, as told in the Irish epic
The Cattle Raid of Cooley.
Maisie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: MAY-zee(English)
Scottish
diminutive of
Mairead. It was long used in the United Kingdom and Australia, becoming popular at the end of the 20th century. In the United States it was brought to public attention by the British actress Maisie Williams (1997-), who played Arya Stark on the television series
Game of Thrones beginning 2011. Her birth name is Margaret.
Margaret
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAHR-grit, MAHR-gə-rit
Derived from Latin
Margarita, which was from Greek
μαργαρίτης (margarites) meaning
"pearl", a word that was probably ultimately a borrowing from an Indo-Iranian language.
Saint Margaret, the patron of expectant mothers, was martyred at Antioch in the 4th century. Later legends told of her escape from a dragon, with which she was often depicted in medieval art. The saint was popular during the Middle Ages, and her name has been widely used in the Christian world.
As an English name it has been very popular since the Middle Ages. It was the top name for girls in England and Wales in the 1920s, 30s and 40s, but it declined in the latter half of the 20th century.
Other saints by this name include a queen of Scotland and a princess of Hungary. It was also borne by Queen Margaret I of Denmark, who united Denmark, Sweden, and Norway in the 14th century. Famous literary bearers include American writer Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949), the author of Gone with the Wind, and Canadian writer Margaret Atwood (1939-). Others include American anthropologist Margaret Mead (1901-1978) and British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013).
Marlowe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MAHR-lo
From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "remnants of a lake" in Old English. A famous bearer of the surname was the English playwright Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593).
Maudie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAWD-ee
Meadow
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: MEHD-o
From the English word meadow, ultimately from Old English mædwe. Previously very rare, it rose in popularity after it was used as the name of Tony Soprano's daughter on the television series The Sopranos (1999-2007).
Mercy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MUR-see
From the English word
mercy, ultimately from Latin
merces "wages, reward", a derivative of
merx "goods, wares". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Merel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: MEH-rəl
Means "blackbird" in Dutch.
Merrill
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MEHR-əl
From an English surname that was derived either from the given name
Muriel or from place names meaning "pleasant hill".
Midge
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: MIJ
Miele
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian (Rare)
Pronounced: MYEH-leh
Means "honey" in Italian.
Miette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French (Archaic), French (Belgian, Rare), Flemish (Rare)
Pronounced: MYEHT(French, Belgian French) myeht(Flemish)
Obsolete diminutive of
Marguerite. In this day and age the name coincides with the French word
miette "crumb" (which is also used as a term of endearment for children).
Miko
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: MEE-ko
Milan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Czech, Slovak, Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Macedonian, Dutch (Modern), German (Modern), French (Modern)
Other Scripts: Милан(Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: MI-lan(Czech) MEE-lan(Slovak, Serbian, Croatian) MEE-lahn(Dutch)
From the Slavic element
milŭ meaning
"gracious, dear", originally a short form of names that began with that element. It was originally used in Czech, Slovak, and the South Slavic languages, though it has recently become popular elsewhere in Europe.
A city in Italy bears this name, though in this case it originates from Latin Mediolanum, perhaps ultimately of Celtic origin meaning "middle of the plain". In some cases the city name may be an influence on the use of the given name.
Miriam
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Italian, Portuguese, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Biblical
Other Scripts: מִרְיָם(Hebrew)
Pronounced: MIR-ee-əm(English) MI-ryam(German) MI-ri-yam(Czech) MEE-ree-am(Slovak)
Form of
Mary used in the
Old Testament, where it belongs to the elder sister of
Moses and
Aaron. She watched over the infant Moses as the pharaoh's daughter drew him from the Nile. The name has long been popular among Jews, and it has been used as an English Christian name (alongside
Mary) since the
Protestant Reformation.
Miško
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Serbian, Croatian
Other Scripts: Мишко(Serbian)
Mitzi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: MIT-see
Morgan 1
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English, French
Pronounced: MAWR-gən(English) MAWR-GAN(French)
From the Old Welsh masculine name
Morcant, which was possibly derived from Welsh
mor "sea" and
cant "circle". Since the 1980s in America
Morgan has been more common for girls than boys, perhaps due to stories of
Morgan le Fay or the fame of actress Morgan Fairchild (1950-).
Mylène
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: MEE-LEHN
Nanette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: nə-NEHT
Neroli
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Australian)
Pronounced: NEHR-ə-lee(Australian English)
From the name of an essential oil distilled from orange blossom, which was derived from the Italian place name
Nerola, itself probably meaning "strong" or "brave" from Sabine
nero (compare
Nero). Neroli oil was named after the princess of Nerola, Anne Marie Orsini (1642-1722), who popularized the essence of bitter orange tree as a perfume, making it fashionable by the end of the 17th century. A known bearer of this name is Neroli Meadows (b. 1985 or 1986), an Australian sports journalist.
Nilima
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Marathi, Hindi, Telugu
Other Scripts: नीलिमा(Marathi, Hindi) నీలిమ(Telugu)
From Sanskrit
नील (nīla) meaning
"dark blue".
Nora 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Irish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: NAWR-ə(English) NO-ra(German, Dutch, Spanish)
Short form of
Honora or
Eleanor. Henrik Ibsen used it for a character in his play
A Doll's House (1879).
Nova
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish (Modern), Dutch (Modern)
Pronounced: NO-və(English) NO-va(Swedish, Dutch)
Derived from Latin novus meaning "new". It was first used as a name in the 19th century.
Penny
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PEHN-ee
Diminutive of
Penelope. It can also be given in reference to the copper coin (a British pound or an American dollar are worth 100 of them), derived from Old English
penning.
Phoenix
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: FEE-niks
From the name of a beautiful immortal bird that appears in Egyptian and Greek
mythology. After living for several centuries in the Arabian Desert, it would be consumed by fire and rise from its own ashes, with this cycle repeating every 500 years. The name of the bird was derived from Greek
φοῖνιξ (phoinix) meaning "dark red".
Piper
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: PIE-pər
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].
Reagan
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: RAY-gən
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Riagáin, derived from the given name
Riagán. This surname was borne by American actor and president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).
As a given name, it took off in popularity during the 1990s. It has been more common for girls in the United States probably because of its similarity to other names such as Megan, Morgan and Regan.
Reilly
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: RIE-lee
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Raghailligh, derived from the given name Raghailleach, meaning unknown.
Remus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Roman Mythology, Romanian
Pronounced: REH-moos(Latin) REE-məs(English)
Meaning uncertain, possibly from Old Latin *
yemos meaning
"twin" with the initial consonant altered due to the influence of
Romulus. In Roman legend the twin brothers
Romulus and Remus were the founders of the city of Rome. Remus was later slain by his brother.
Reuben
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew, English
Other Scripts: רְאוּבֵן(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ROO-bən(English)
Means
"behold, a son" in Hebrew, derived from
רָאָה (raʾa) meaning "to see" and
בֵּן (ben) meaning "son". In the
Old Testament he is the eldest son of
Jacob and
Leah and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Reuben was cursed by his father because he slept with Jacob's concubine
Bilhah. It has been used as a Christian name in Britain since the
Protestant Reformation.
Ridley
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: RID-lee
From an English surname that was originally derived from various place names meaning either "reed clearing" or "channel clearing" in Old English.
Rim
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: ريم(Arabic)
Pronounced: REEM
Means "white antelope" in Arabic.
Ripley
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: RIP-lee
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.
Robin
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English, French, Dutch, Swedish, Czech
Pronounced: RAHB-in(American English) RAWB-in(British English) RAW-BEHN(French) RAW-bin(Dutch) RO-bin(Czech)
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.
Rochelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: raw-SHEHL
From the name of the French city
La Rochelle, meaning
"little rock". It first became commonly used as a given name in America in the 1930s, probably due to the fame of actress Rochelle Hudson (1914-1972) and because of the similarity to the name
Rachel.
Rune
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
Pronounced: ROO-nə(Norwegian) ROO-neh(Danish, Swedish)
Derived from Old Norse
rún meaning
"secret lore, rune".
Sable
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SAY-bəl
From the English word meaning "black", derived from the name of the black-furred mammal native to northern Asia, ultimately of Slavic origin.
Scarlet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SKAHR-lit
Either a variant of
Scarlett or else from the English word for the red colour (both of the same origin, a type of cloth).
Sekhmet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Egyptian Mythology
Pronounced: SEHK-meht(English)
From Egyptian
sḫmt, derived from
sḫm meaning
"powerful" and a feminine
t suffix. Sekhmet was an Egyptian warrior goddess, also associated with healing, violence and plague. She was commonly depicted with the head of a lioness, and was sometimes conflated with the cat-headed goddess
Bastet.
Severin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Norwegian (Rare), Swedish (Rare), Danish (Rare)
Pronounced: zeh-veh-REEN(German) ZEH-veh-reen(German)
Shea
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: SHAY(English)
Anglicized form of
Séaghdha, sometimes used as a feminine name.
Shiloh
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: שִׁלוֹ, שִׁילֹה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: SHIE-lo(English)
From an
Old Testament place name possibly meaning
"tranquil" in Hebrew. It is also used prophetically in the Old Testament to refer to a person, often understood to be the Messiah (see
Genesis 49:10). This may in fact be a mistranslation.
This name was brought to public attention after actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt gave it to their daughter in 2006.
Silas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Greek, Danish, German, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Σίλας(Greek)
Pronounced: SIE-ləs(English)
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).
Silvie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech
Pronounced: SIL-vi-yeh
Solange
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SAW-LAHNZH
French form of the Late Latin name
Sollemnia, which was derived from Latin
sollemnis "religious". This was the name of a French shepherdess who became a
saint after she was killed by her master.
Solomon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, English, Jewish, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: שְׁלֹמֹה(Hebrew) Σολομών(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: SAHL-ə-mən(American English) SAWL-ə-mən(British English)
From the Hebrew name
שְׁלֹמֹה (Shelomo), which was derived from
שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning "peace". As told in the
Old Testament, Solomon was a king of Israel, the son of
David and
Bathsheba. He was renowned for his wisdom and wealth. Towards the end of his reign he angered God by turning to idolatry. Supposedly, he was the author of the Book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon.
This name has never been overly common in the Christian world, and it is considered typically Jewish. It was however borne by an 11th-century Hungarian king.
Storm
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern), Dutch (Modern), Danish (Modern), Norwegian (Modern)
Pronounced: STAWRM(English, Dutch)
From the vocabulary word, ultimately from Old English or Old Dutch storm, or in the case of the Scandinavian name, from Old Norse stormr. It is unisex as an English name, but typically masculine elsewhere.
Sunny
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SUN-ee
From the English word meaning "sunny, cheerful".
Suzy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SOO-zee
Tabitha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ταβιθά(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: TAB-i-thə(English)
Means
"gazelle" in Aramaic. Tabitha in the
New Testament was a woman restored to life by
Saint Peter. Her name is translated into Greek as
Dorcas (see
Acts 9:36). As an English name,
Tabitha became common after the
Protestant Reformation. It was popularized in the 1960s by the television show
Bewitched, in which Tabitha (sometimes spelled Tabatha) is the daughter of the main character.
Velvet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: VEHL-vət
Personal remark: banger pseudonym
From the English word for the soft fabric. It became used as a given name after the main character in Enid Bagnold's book National Velvet (1935) and the movie (1944) and television (1960) adaptations.
Verity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: VEHR-i-tee
From the English word meaning
"verity, truth", from Latin
verus "true, real". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Wilma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, English, Swedish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: VIL-ma(German, Dutch) WIL-mə(English)
Short form of
Wilhelmina. German settlers introduced it to America in the 19th century.
Wren
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: REHN
From the English word for the small songbird. It is ultimately derived from Old English wrenna.
Wynne 2
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: WIN
From an English surname that was derived from the given name
Wine.
Yawen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 雅雯, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: YA-WUN
From Chinese
雅 (yǎ) meaning "elegant, graceful, refined" combined with
雯 (wén) meaning "cloud patterns". This name can be formed of other character combinations as well.
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