erin_ex_machina's Personal Name List

Finnish form of Ada 1.

Means "wide, open" in Finnish.

Means "born on Tuesday" in Akan.

Means "born into wealth" in Yoruba.

Latinized form of Greek Ἄκανθα (Akantha), which meant "thorn, prickle". In Greek legend she was a nymph loved by Apollo.

Means "justice" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic عدل (ʿadala) meaning "to act justly".

Variant of Adelie.

Variant of Adelais.

Feminine form of Adamantios.

German and Dutch form of Adelaide.

Alternate transcription of Hebrew עֲדִינָה (see Adina 3).

Means "the crown of wealth" in Yoruba. It is also a surname.

Feminine form of Aelianus.

Created by Russian author Aleksey Tolstoy for his science fiction novel Aelita (1923), where it belongs to a Martian princess. In the book, the name is said to mean "starlight seen for the last time" in the Martian language.

Variant of Aino. It also means "always" in Finnish.

From the name of a town in southwestern France where there is a famous image of the Virgin Mary.

Means "glory" in Basque.

Variant of Aisling.

Possibly a variant of Eithne.

Feminine form of Alastar.

A pseudo-Hawaiian name invented by LeRoy Clemens and John B. Hymer for the title character of their 1925 Broadway play Aloma of the South Seas, which was twice adapted to film, in 1926 and again in 1941. This name briefly jumped in popularity in the United States after the premiere of the 1941 film.

This is the traditional name of the star Alpha Coronae Australis. The name Alfecca, Alphecca or Alphekka is Arabic, short for نير الفكّة nayyir al-fakka "the bright (star) of the broken (ring of stars)".

Dhivehi form of Amina 1.

Georgian variant of Ana.

Possibly derived from a Semitic root meaning "water spring". Anat was a goddess of fertility, hunting and war worshipped by the Semitic peoples of the Levant. She was the sister and consort of the god Hadad.

Derived from Greek ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός) combined with one of the related words μέδομαι (medomai) meaning "to be mindful of, to provide for, to think on" or μέδω (medo) meaning "to protect, to rule over". In Greek mythology Andromeda was an Ethiopian princess rescued from sacrifice by the hero Perseus. A constellation in the northern sky is named for her. This is also the name of a nearby galaxy, given because it resides (from our point of view) within the constellation.

Moldovan form of Anya.

Feminine form of Aneirin, also considered a combination of Welsh an, an intensifying prefix, and eira "snow" (see Eira 1), with the intended meaning of "much snow" or "very snowy". It was first used in the late 19th century.

Possibly from Latin angor "strangulation, torment" or angustus "narrow, constricted". Angerona was the Roman goddess of the winter solstice, death, and silence.

Romanian diminutive of Ana.

Medieval English form of Agnes.

Meaning unknown. It was possibly inspired by an American song by this name written by Vivian Grey in 1903 and recorded by musician Vess Ossman. The lyrics tell of a Native American woman named Anona from Arizona.

Russian feminine form of Apollinaris.

Feminine form of Apollonios. This was the name of a 3rd-century saint and martyr from Alexandria.

Spanish and Polish form of Apollonia.

Greek form of a Hebrew name that possibly meant "increasing". This is a name mentioned in Paul's epistle to Philemon in the New Testament.

Probably means "silver wheel" from Welsh arian "silver" and rhod "wheel". According to the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi [1], Arianrhod was the mother of the twins Dylan and Lleu Llaw Gyffes, whom she spontaneously birthed when she stepped over a magical wand. It is speculated that in earlier myths she may have been a goddess of the moon.

Derived from Welsh arian "silver" and gwen "white, blessed". This was the name of a 5th-century Welsh saint, one of the supposed daughters of Brychan Brycheiniog.

Means "raising of the mind", from Greek ἄρσις (arsis) "raising" and νόος (noos) "mind, thought". This name was borne by Egyptian queens from the Ptolemaic dynasty.

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.

From עַשְׁתֹרֶת (ʿAshṯoreṯ), the Hebrew form of the name of a Phoenician goddess of love, war and fertility. Her name is cognate to that of the East Semitic goddess Ishtar.

Feminine form of Astor. This is also the name of several American towns, after the businessman John Jacob Astor.

Latinized form of the Greek Ἀστραία (Astraia), derived from Greek ἀστήρ (aster) meaning "star". Astraea was a Greek goddess of justice and innocence. After wickedness took root in the world she left the earth and became the constellation Virgo.

Means "lightning" in Greek. This was the name of a Greek goddess of lightning, an attendant of Zeus.

This is borne by Astrith Baltsan (1956-), an Israeli concert pianist; it is uncertain if her name has the same etymological origins as Ástríðr.

Possibly means "Yahweh is exalted" in Hebrew, from עֲתַל (ʿaṯal) possibly meaning "exalted" and יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. In the Old Testament this is both a feminine and masculine name. It was borne by the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, who later came to rule Judah as a queen.

Hellenized form of Old Persian *𐎢𐎫𐎢𐎰 (Utautha) meaning "well granting" [1]. It was notably borne by the eldest daughter of Cyrus the Great, who married Darius the Great in the 6th century BC.

Finnish form of Agnes.

From the English word meaning "radiant halo", ultimately derived from Latin aureolus "golden".

Means "dawn" in Latvian.

Russian form of Eudocia.

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.

Feminine form of Baccio.

Derived from Latin beatus meaning "blessed". This was the name of a few minor saints.

Derived from Latin bellare meaning "to fight". This was the name of the Roman goddess of war, a companion of Mars.

Variant of Berit.

Yiddish name derived from bin(e) "bee", which was originally used as a translation of the Hebrew name Deborah, though it has since become associated with modern Hebrew bina "understanding".

Allegedly it is sometimes used as a Hebrew form of Sophia, and is also the Yiddish form of the Judeo-Spanish name Buena.

Means "candle bearer", derived from Latin candela "a taper, a wax-light, a tallow-candle" (the source of the English word candle) and ferre "to bear". In Roman mythology Candelifera was a goddess supposed to assist at childbirth, for whom a symbolical candle or torch was lighted.

The cyclical place of the goddess is uncertain. It is sometimes thought that Candelifera provides an artificial light for labor that occurs at night. A long labor was considered likely for first-time mothers, so at least a part of the birthing process would occur at night. According to Plutarch, light symbolizes birth, but the candle may have been thought of as less a symbol than an actual kindling of life, or a magic equivalent to the life of the infant. Candelifera may also be a personification of the nursery light kept burning against spirits of darkness that would threaten the infant in the coming week. Even in the Christian era, lamps were lit in nurseries to illuminate sacred images and drive away child-snatching demons such as the Gello.

From the aristocratic title, derived from Latin comitissa "countess". More commonly a word, it was occasionally used as a medieval given name.

From Irish croí meaning "heart". This name was used by Irish martial artist Conor McGregor for his daughter born 2019.

Means "laurel" in Albanian, Bulgarian and Macedonian, of Greek origin.

Means "laurel" in Hebrew, of Greek origin.

Feminine form of the Latin name Delphinus, which meant "of Delphi". Delphi was a city in ancient Greece, the name of which is possibly related to Greek δελφύς (delphys) meaning "womb". The Blessed Delphina was a 14th-century Provençal nun.

Variant of Dionne.

Scottish Gaelic form of Eleanor.

Eingana is the name of an Aboriginal snake goddess, the mother of all things but also a symbol of death. In the legend, she gave birth to all things, and sustains life through her umbilical cords, but whenever she cuts a cord, the thing bound to it dies.

Possibly from Old Irish etne meaning "kernel, grain". In Irish mythology Eithne or Ethniu was a Fomorian and the mother of Lugh Lámfada. It was borne by several other legendary and historical figures, including a few early saints.

Contracted form of Éléonore via the diminutive Léonie.

Derived from Gaulish epos meaning "horse" with the divine or augmentative suffix -on. This was the name of a Gaulish goddess of horses and fertility. She was worshipped not only in Gaul, but elsewhere in the Roman Empire.

Derived from Greek εὔλαλος (eulalos) meaning "sweetly-speaking", itself from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and λαλέω (laleo) meaning "to talk". This was the name of an early 4th-century saint and martyr from Mérida in Spain. Another martyr by this name, living at the same time, is a patron saint of Barcelona. These two saints might be the same person.

From Greek Εὐάδνη (Euadne), from εὖ (eu) meaning "good" possibly combined with Cretan Greek ἀδνός (adnos) meaning "holy". This name was borne by several characters in Greek legend, including the wife of Capaneus. After Capaneus was killed by a lightning bolt sent from Zeus she committed suicide by throwing herself onto his burning body.

Means "cosmos, the universe" in Turkish. In Turkic mythology the Evren is a gigantic snake-like dragon.

Latin diminutive of Fabia. This was the name of a 4th-century saint from Rome.

From Irish fiann meaning "band of warriors".

Variant of Fionnuala.

Means "white shoulder" from Old Irish finn "white, blessed" and gúala "shoulder". In Irish legend Fionnuala was one of the four children of Lir who were transformed into swans for a period of 900 years.

Derived from Italian and Corsican fiore "flower".

Medieval Italian variant of Fiordalisa.

Likely derived from Italian fiore meaning "flower" combined with either Italian spina meaning "thorn" or ancient Greek δέσποινα (despoina) meaning "mistress, lady" (see Despina). Also compare Fiordispina.

In Italian literature, Fiordespina Lauri is the main character of a novella written by the Italian author and poet Pietro Fortini (died in 1562).

Means "flower" in Italian. It can also be considered an Italian form of the Latin names Flora and Florus.

Feminine form of Fortunato.

Early Medieval Spanish form of Elvira.

Italian form of Iuno (see Juno).

Means "glory", from the Portuguese and Spanish titles of the Virgin Mary Maria da Glória and María de Gloria. Maria da Glória (1819-1853) was the daughter of the Brazilian emperor Pedro I, eventually becoming queen of Portugal as Maria II.

The name was introduced to the English-speaking world by E. D. E. N. Southworth's novel Gloria (1891) and George Bernard Shaw's play You Never Can Tell (1898), which both feature characters with a Portuguese background [1]. It was popularized in the early 20th century by American actress Gloria Swanson (1899-1983). Another famous bearer is feminist Gloria Steinem (1934-).

Simply from the English word glory, ultimately from Latin gloria.

Possibly derived from Old Irish grán meaning "grain" or gráin meaning "hatred, fear". In the Irish legend The Pursuit of Diarmaid and Gráinne she escaped from her arranged marriage to Fionn mac Cumhaill by fleeing with her lover Diarmaid. Another famous bearer was the powerful 16th-century Irish landowner and seafarer Gráinne Ní Mháille (known in English as Grace O'Malley), who was sometimes portrayed as a pirate queen in later tales.

Means "of the heart" in Georgian, from გულის (gulis), the genitive of გული (guli) meaning "heart".

Means "sunshine" in Welsh (a compound of haul "sun" and gwen "white, blessed").

Feminine form of Honoratus.

Variant of Ianthe.

Means "violet flower", derived from Greek ἴον (ion) meaning "violet" and ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower". This was the name of an ocean nymph in Greek mythology.

From Old Irish Íte, possibly derived from ítu meaning "thirst". This was the name of a 6th-century Irish nun, the patron saint of Killeedy.

Lithuanian and Latvian form of Eve. This is also the Lithuanian and Latvian word for a type of cherry tree (species Prunus padus).

Latin form of Igraine.

Meaning unknown, from Igerna, the Latinized form of Welsh Eigyr. In Arthurian legend she is the mother of King Arthur by Uther Pendragon and the mother of Morgan le Fay by Gorlois. The Welsh form Eigyr or Eigr was rendered into Latin as Igerna by the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth.

Old Hungarian form of Helen, possibly via a Slavic form. In Finland it is associated with the word ilona, a derivative of ilo "joy".

Possibly derived from Sumerian nin-an-a(k) meaning "lady of the heavens", from 𒎏 (nin) meaning "lady" and the genitive form of 𒀭 (an) meaning "heaven, sky". Inanna was the Sumerian goddess of love, fertility and war. She descended into the underworld where the ruler of that place, her sister Ereshkigal, had her killed. The god Enki interceded, and Inanna was allowed to leave the underworld as long as her husband Dumuzi took her place.

Inanna was later conflated with the Semitic (Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian) deity Ishtar.

Means "immaculate" in Spanish. This name is given to commemorate the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.

Probably a variant of Yolanda influenced by the Greek words ἰόλη (iole) meaning "violet" and ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower". This name was (first?) used by Gilbert and Sullivan in their comic opera Iolanthe (1882).

Means "asphodel (flower)" in Hebrew.

Feminine form of Ísleifr.

Diminutive of Italian Isola and Catalan and Galician Isolda.

Means "mercy" in Edo and "I don't wish you bad" in Ijaw.

Meaning uncertain, possibly from Classic Maya itz meaning "resin, nectar, dew, liquid, enchanted". Otherwise, it might be a variant of Ixchel.

Latin form of Junia.

Means "willow tree" in South Slavic.

Meaning unknown. This name was borne by Saint Ia of Persia, a 4th-century martyr who is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Means "wren" or "little wild goose" from djida, a word in Noongar, spoken in South West Region, Western Australia.

Jedda is the name of the Aboriginal main character in the 1955 Australian film 'Jedda' by Charles Chauvel.

Derived from Albanian jehonë meaning "echo".

French form of Iuno (see Juno).

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

Means "blizzard woman" in Nenets. It is typically given to baby girls who were born during a strong blizzard or snow storm.

The name of a Slavic fertility goddess, derived from Old Slavic lada "wife" [1]. It can also be a diminutive of Vladislava or Vladimira.

Possibly connected to Greek λαλέω (laleo) meaning "to talk, to chatter", or the Latin term Lares referring to minor guardian gods. In Roman mythology Larunda or Lara was a water nymph who was overly talkative. She revealed to Juno that her husband Jupiter was having an affair with Juturna, so Jupiter had Larunda's tongue removed. By the god Mercury she had two children, who were Lares.

From Sanskrit लता (latā) meaning "vine, creeping plant".

Meaning unknown. Laverna was the Roman goddess of thieves and thievery.

Irish form of Helen.

Basque form and Spanish variant of Leyre.

Feminine form of Leontios. This name was used among Byzantine royalty.

Combination of the name Lev 2 means "heart" with the letters ya (יה) (which are part of the name of God) means "Heart of God" in Hebrew.

Means "the moon" in the Palawa language of Tasmania. There is a suburb of Hobart with this name. A famous namesake is Lutana Spotswood, a language worker who gave a eulogy in Palawa at the funeral of a Tasmanian premier.

Feminine form of Lysandros (see Lysander).

Meaning unknown. This was the name of a 5th-century Christian saint, a hermit from Beroea in Syria who was martyred with her companion Cyra.

Means "Mary the helper" in Spanish, a devotional title of the Virgin Mary.

Catalan diminutive of Maria.

Feminine form of Meir.

Means "gift of the moon", derived from Greek μήνη (mene) meaning "moon" and δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". This was the name of a 4th-century saint who was martyred with her sisters Metrodora and Nymphodora.

From the English word merle or the French surname Merle, which both mean "blackbird" (from Latin merula). It was borne by the devious character Madame Merle (in fact her surname) in Henry James' novel The Portrait of a Lady (1880).

This name is also common for girls in Estonia, though a connection to the English-language name is uncertain.

Means "remembrance" in Greek. In Greek mythology Mnemosyne was a Titan goddess of memory. She was the mother by Zeus of the nine Muses.

Anglicized form of Muadhnait.

Means "great" in Irish. This was a popular medieval Irish name. It was probably given in some cases as an alternative to Máire, which was considered too sacred for general use.

From Old Slavic morŭ meaning "death, plague" [1]. In Slavic mythology this was the name of a goddess associated with winter and death.

Anglicized form of Muirne used by James Macpherson in his poem Fingal (1761), in which it is borne by the mother of the hero Fingal.

Means "born of the sea" in Irish. In Irish legend this was the name of a woman (originally named Lí Ban) who was transformed into a mermaid. After 300 years she was brought to shore, baptized, and transformed back into a woman.

From Irish muirn meaning either "affection, endearment" or "festivity, exuberance". In Irish legend this was the name of the mother of Fionn mac Cumhaill. She is also called Muirenn.

Derived from Georgian მზე (mze) meaning "sun".

Of Australian Aboriginal origin (Pintupi, to be precise), the meaning of this name is not yet known to me at the moment. A known bearer of this name is Naata Nungurrayi (b. circa 1932), an Australian Aboriginal painter.

Irish form of Nancy.

Diminutive of Natela.

Latinized form of Greek Ναυσικάα (Nausikaa) meaning "burner of ships". In Homer's epic the Odyssey this is the name of a daughter of Alcinous who helps Odysseus on his journey home.

Russian form of Nausicaa.

From Old Irish Ness, meaning uncertain. In Irish legend she was the mother of Conchobar. She installed her son as king of Ulster by convincing Fergus mac Róich (her husband and Conchobar's stepfather) to give up his throne to the boy for a year and then helping him rule so astutely that the Ulstermen demanded that he remain as king. According to some versions of the legend she was originally named Assa "gentle", but was renamed Ní-assa "not gentle" after she sought to avenge the murders of her foster fathers.

It means “a melody”.

Greek form of Egyptian nt, possibly from nt "water" or nrw "fear, dread". This was the name of an early Egyptian goddess of weaving, hunting and war. Her character may have some correspondences with the goddesses Tanith, Anat or Athena.

Persian name of uncertain meaning, possibly "just, fair" or "half moon".

Meaning unknown. In Arthurian legends this is the name of a sorceress, also known as the Lady of the Lake, Vivien, or Niniane. Various versions of the tales have Merlin falling in love with her and becoming imprisoned by her magic. She first appears in the medieval French Lancelot-Grail Cycle.

French diminutive of Anne 1.

Meaning unknown. In Greek mythology Niobe was the daughter of Tantalos, a king of Asia Minor. Because she boasted that she was superior to Leto, Leto's children Apollo and Artemis killed her 14 children with poison arrows. In grief, Niobe was turned to stone by Zeus.

Irish diminutive of Nora 1.

Alternate transcription of Arabic/Urdu نور (see Nur).

From the name of a Ukrainian city that sits on the north coast of the Black Sea, which was named after the ancient Greek city of Ὀδησσός (Odessos), of uncertain meaning. This name can also be used as a feminine form of Odysseus.

Ukrainian form of Helen.

Ukrainian diminutive of Oleksandra. This was the name of an 1898 novel by the Russian author Aleksandr Kuprin.

Feminine form of Olympos.

Irish form of Honora.

Perhaps based on Latin oro "to pray". It was first used in America in the 19th century.

Meaning "the moon" in Australian Aboriginal.

French form of Oriana.

Derived from Greek οὐράνιος (ouranios) meaning "heavenly". In Greek mythology she was the goddess of astronomy and astrology, one of the nine Muses.

Means "ray of light" in Persian.

From the English word for the type of flower. It was originally believed to have healing qualities, so it was named after the Greek medical god Pæon.

Derived from Greek φαεινός (phaeinos) meaning "shining". According to some Greek myths this was the name of one of the three Graces or Χάριτες (Charites).

From Greek Φιλουμένη (Philoumene) meaning "to be loved", an inflection of φιλέω (phileo) meaning "to love". This was the name of an obscure early saint and martyr. The name came to public attention in 1802 after a tomb seemingly marked with the name Filumena was found in Rome, supposedly belonging to another martyr named Philomena. This may have in fact been a representation of the Greek word φιλουμένη, not a name.

Original Greek form of Philomena.

Derived from Greek φῶς (phos) meaning "light" (genitive φωτός (photos)). This is the name traditionally given to the Samaritan woman Jesus met at the well (see John 4:7). She is venerated as a saint by the Eastern Church.

Possibly from Greek πλείων (pleion) meaning "more, greater". According to Greek mythology Pleione was an Oceanid nymph who was the husband of Atlas. Together with her seven daughters and Atlas she forms the group of stars called the Pleiades, part of the constellation Taurus.

Means "pearl of the deep seas"; a combination of Tahitian poe "pearl" and mā "clean, pure, clear".

From the name of an asteroid discovered by Johann Palisa which was named after the city of Pola where he made the discovery.

The name of a supernatural creature in Eastern European mythology, known in English as "Lady Midday" or the "Noon Witch". Her name is probably derived from the proto-Slavic *polъ meaning "half" and dьnь meaning "day", therefore "midday", and the related terms in the various Slavic languages. Alternatively, her name may share an etymological root with the Serbo-Croatian poludjeti meaning "to go crazy".

The name of an asteroid, named after the Roman town of Pompeii, which was destroyed due to a volcanic eruption.

Means "night or day of the full moon" in Hindi, ultimately from Sanskrit पूर्णिमा (purnima).

Possibly based on Greek πῦρ (pyr) meaning "fire". This is the full name of American musician Rena Lovelis (1998-), a member of the band Hey Violet (along with her sister Szatania 'Nia' Lovelis).

Short form of Old Norse names beginning with the element regin "advice, counsel".

From Sanskrit राणी (rāṇī) meaning "queen".

Old Irish form of Rathnait.

Means "storyteller" in Arabic, derived from روى (rawā) meaning "to relate, to tell" [1].

Polish diminutive of Renata.

Either a variant of Ríoghnach or a short form of Caitríona.

Old Norse, Icelandic and Faroese feminine form of Rune.

Variant of Saorfhlaith. It means free princess or free noblewoman derived from Irish saor meaning "free" and Irish flaith meaning "princess, nobelwoman".

Means "respected" in Greek. Also compare the related name Sebastian. A known bearer of this name was Sevasti Kallisperi (1858-1953), the first Greek woman to attain a university degree.

Feminine form of Siôn.

Means "sun" in Spanish or Portuguese.

Latin form of Esperanza.

Meaning unknown. This was the name of the Phoenician goddess of love, fertility, the moon and the stars. She was particularly associated with the city of Carthage, being the consort of Ba'al Hammon.

Means "sea" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was the personification of the sea. A small moon of Neptune is named for her.

From the ancient Greek name Θεόκλεια (Theokleia), which meant "glory of God" from the Greek elements θεός (theos) meaning "god" and κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory". This was the name of a 1st-century saint, appearing (as Θέκλα) in the apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla. The story tells how Thecla listens to Paul speak about the virtues of chastity and decides to remain a virgin, angering both her mother and her suitor.

Ancient Greek form of Thekla.

Possibly a shortened form of Theolene or Theolinde (compare Theora, Theoda, Theda).

Younger form of Theodolinde.

Often a contracted form of Theodora, but there are also instances where it is actually a name on its own, then derived from Greek theorein "to watch, to look at."

Modern form of Þóra.

Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian form of Juliana.