littleRainbow's Personal Name List
Abela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German (Rare), Low German (Archaic), Swedish (Archaic), Icelandic (Modern)
Pronounced: ah-BEH-lah(German, Low German)
Rating: 16% based on 5 votes
Obsolete Low German short form of both
Apollonia and
Alberta. There is, however, another theory which derives this name from Old Saxon
aval "strength; force; fortitude".
This name was also occasionally used in southern Sweden and got accepted by Icelandic authorities in the early 2000s.
Adamina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: ad-ə-MEEN-ə
Rating: 28% based on 8 votes
Adela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Romanian, Polish, Slovak, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: ə-DEHL-ə(English) a-DHEH-la(Spanish) a-DEH-la(Polish) A-deh-la(Slovak)
Rating: 28% based on 6 votes
Originally a short form of names beginning with the Old German element
adal meaning
"noble" (Proto-Germanic *
aþalaz).
Saint Adela was a 7th-century Frankish princess who founded a monastery at Pfazel in France. This name was also borne by a daughter of William the Conqueror.
Adelaide
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Portuguese
Pronounced: A-də-layd(English) a-deh-LIE-deh(Italian) a-di-LIE-di(European Portuguese) a-di-LIED(European Portuguese) a-deh-LIE-jee(Brazilian Portuguese)
Rating: 59% based on 9 votes
Means
"nobleness, nobility", from the French form of the Germanic name
Adalheidis, which was composed of
adal "noble" and the suffix
heit "kind, sort, type". It was borne in the 10th century by
Saint Adelaide, the wife of the Holy Roman emperor Otto the Great.
In Britain the parallel form Alice, derived via Old French, has historically been more common than Adelaide, though this form did gain some currency in the 19th century due to the popularity of the German-born wife of King William IV, for whom the city of Adelaide in Australia was named in 1836.
Adelila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Rating: 16% based on 5 votes
Adeliza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English, Old Swedish
Rating: 23% based on 6 votes
Medieval English and Old Swedish form of
Adelais. The second wife of Henry I of England bore this name.
Aibhín
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: AY-veen
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
This name was used in the poem "A Kite for Aibhín" by Seamus Heaney, published in 2010.
Ainhoa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: IE-no-a(Basque) ie-NO-a(Spanish)
Rating: 36% based on 9 votes
From the name of a town in southwestern France where there is a famous image of the Virgin
Mary.
Ajete
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Rating: 14% based on 5 votes
Akemi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 明美, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あけみ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-KEH-MEE
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
From Japanese
明 (ake) meaning "bright" and
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Akiko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 晶子, 明子, 秋子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あきこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-KYEE-KO
Rating: 35% based on 6 votes
From Japanese
晶 (aki) meaning "clear, crystal",
明 (aki) meaning "bright, light, clear" or
秋 (aki) meaning "autumn" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji characters are possible.
Aleida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch, Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: a-LAY-da(Dutch) a-LAY-dha(Spanish)
Rating: 35% based on 10 votes
Dutch and Spanish short form of
Adelaide.
Alma 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Albanian, Slovene, Croatian
Pronounced: AL-mə(English) AL-ma(Spanish) AHL-ma(Dutch)
Rating: 54% based on 8 votes
This name became popular after the Battle of Alma (1854), which took place near the River Alma in Crimea and ended in a victory for Britain and France. However, the name was in rare use before the battle; it was probably inspired by Latin
almus "nourishing". It also coincides with the Spanish word meaning
"the soul".
Almedia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American)
Pronounced: al-MEE-dee-a(American English)
Rating: 25% based on 2 votes
Elaboration of
Almeda.
This is also the name of towns in both Pennsylvania and Louisiana.
Aloisia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German (Rare)
Pronounced: a-LOI-zya
Rating: 15% based on 2 votes
Altagracia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Caribbean)
Pronounced: al-ta-GRA-sya(Latin American Spanish) al-ta-GRA-thya(European Spanish)
Rating: 20% based on 2 votes
Means
"high grace", taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia, meaning "Our Lady of High Grace". She is considered the patron
saint of the Dominican Republic, and it is there that this name is most often used.
Amanda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Hungarian, Latvian, Late Roman
Pronounced: ə-MAN-də(English) a-MAN-da(Spanish, Italian) a-MAHN-da(Dutch)
Rating: 37% based on 10 votes
In part this is a feminine form of
Amandus. However, it was not used during the Middle Ages. In the 17th century it was recreated by authors and poets who based it directly on Latin
amanda meaning
"lovable, worthy of love". Notably, the playwright Colley Cibber used it for a character in his play
Love's Last Shift (1696). It came into regular use during the 19th century.
Ambrosia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἀμβροσία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AM-BRO-SEE-A
Rating: 34% based on 5 votes
Feminine form of
Ambrosios (see
Ambrose).
Amika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Esperanto
Pronounced: a-MEE-ka
Rating: 41% based on 7 votes
Means "friendly" in Esperanto, ultimately from Latin amicus "friend".
Amisha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Indian, Hindi, Gujarati
Other Scripts: अमीषा(Hindi) અમીષા(Gujarati)
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
Derived from Sanskrit आमिष (amiśa) meaning "lust, desire, longing".
Amity
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: A-mi-tee
Rating: 43% based on 4 votes
From the English word meaning "friendship", ultimately deriving from Latin amicitia.
Anna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Armenian, Icelandic, Faroese, Catalan, Occitan, Breton, Scottish Gaelic, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1], Biblical Latin, Old Church Slavic
Other Scripts: Άννα(Greek) Анна(Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Church Slavic) Աննա(Armenian) Ἄννα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AN-ə(English) AN-na(Italian, Polish, Icelandic) A-na(German, Swedish, Danish, Greek, Czech) AH-na(Dutch) AHN-nah(Norwegian, Finnish, Armenian) AWN-naw(Hungarian) AN-nə(Russian, Catalan) ahn-NAH(Armenian)
Rating: 41% based on 8 votes
Form of
Hannah used in the Greek and Latin
Old Testament. Many later Old Testament translations, including the English, use the
Hannah spelling instead of
Anna. The name appears briefly in the
New Testament belonging to a prophetess who recognized
Jesus as the Messiah. It was a popular name in the Byzantine Empire from an early date, and in the Middle Ages it became common among Western Christians due to veneration of
Saint Anna (usually known as Saint Anne in English), the name traditionally assigned to the mother of the Virgin
Mary.
In England, this Latin form has been used alongside the vernacular forms Ann and Anne since the late Middle Ages. Anna is currently the most common of these spellings in all English-speaking countries (since the 1970s), however the biblical form Hannah is presently more popular than all three.
The name was borne by several Russian royals, including an 18th-century empress of Russia. It is also the name of the main character in Leo Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina (1877), about a married aristocrat who begins an ultimately tragic relationship with Count Vronsky.
Annelie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Swedish
Pronounced: A-nə-lee(German)
Rating: 45% based on 8 votes
Annie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Dutch
Pronounced: AN-ee(English) A-NEE(French) AH-nee(Dutch)
Rating: 43% based on 7 votes
Aponi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Siksika
Rating: 10% based on 5 votes
Arjeta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Rating: 10% based on 5 votes
Derived from Albanian ar "gold" and jetë "life".
Arminda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Rating: 32% based on 6 votes
Arrietty
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: ar-ee-EH-tee
Rating: 31% based on 7 votes
Possibly a variant of
Harriet. This is the name of a character from 'The Borrowers' by Mary Norton.
Aubrey
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AWB-ree
Rating: 35% based on 4 votes
From
Auberi, an Old French form of
Alberich brought to England by the
Normans. It was common in the Middle Ages, and was revived in the 19th century. Since the mid-1970s it has more frequently been given to girls, due to Bread's 1972 song
Aubrey along with its similarity to the established feminine name
Audrey.
Aurelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Romanian, Italian, Spanish, Polish
Pronounced: ow-REH-lee-a(Latin) ow-REH-lya(Italian, Spanish, Polish)
Rating: 60% based on 7 votes
Aurora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English, Romanian, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Roman Mythology
Pronounced: ow-RAW-ra(Italian) ow-RO-ra(Spanish, Latin) ə-RAWR-ə(English) OW-ro-rah(Finnish)
Rating: 48% based on 9 votes
Means "dawn" in Latin. Aurora was the Roman goddess of the morning. It has occasionally been used as a given name since the Renaissance.
Aveline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AV-ə-lien, AV-ə-leen
Rating: 48% based on 8 votes
From the Norman French form of the Germanic name
Avelina, a
diminutive of
Avila. The
Normans introduced this name to Britain. After the Middle Ages it became rare as an English name, though it persisted in America until the 19th century
[1].
Avila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Germanic [1]
Rating: 42% based on 5 votes
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.
Aviva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אֲבִיבָה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ah-VEE-vah
Rating: 42% based on 6 votes
Feminine variant of
Aviv.
Ayo
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Yoruba
Pronounced: A-YAW
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
From Yoruba
ayọ̀ meaning
"joy", or a short form of other names containing this element.
Bartolomea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: bar-to-lo-MEH-a
Rating: 10% based on 5 votes
Bea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hungarian, Dutch
Pronounced: BEE(English)
Rating: 25% based on 6 votes
Beatrice
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, English, Swedish, Romanian
Pronounced: beh-a-TREE-cheh(Italian) BEE-ə-tris(English) BEET-ris(English) BEH-ah-trees(Swedish) beh-ah-TREES(Swedish)
Rating: 61% based on 10 votes
Italian form of
Beatrix. Beatrice Portinari (1266-1290) was the woman who was loved by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. She serves as Dante's guide through paradise in his epic poem the
Divine Comedy (1321). This is also the name of a character in Shakespeare's comedy
Much Ado About Nothing (1599), in which Beatrice and
Benedick are fooled into confessing their love for one another.
Belia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval Jewish, Medieval English, Judeo-Anglo-Norman
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
Birdie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BUR-dee
Rating: 24% based on 5 votes
Diminutive of
Bertha,
Bernice and other names with a similar sound, or sometimes simply from the English word
bird.
Blakely
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: BLAYK-lee
Rating: 25% based on 8 votes
From an English surname that was derived from Old English blæc "black" and leah "woodland clearing".
Blanca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Catalan
Pronounced: BLANG-ka(Spanish) BLANG-kə(Catalan)
Rating: 36% based on 7 votes
Bliss
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: BLIS
Rating: 40% based on 1 vote
Transferred use of the surname
Bliss or simply from the English word "bliss".
Blossom
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BLAH-səm
Rating: 23% based on 6 votes
From the English word blossom, ultimately from Old English blóstm. It came into use as a rare given name in the 19th century.
Bluma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yiddish
Other Scripts: בלומאַ(Yiddish)
Pronounced: BLOO-mah
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
From Yiddish
בלום (blum) meaning
"flower".
Bonnie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BAHN-ee
Rating: 51% based on 10 votes
Means "pretty" from the Scottish word bonnie, which was itself derived from Middle French bon "good". It has been in use as an American given name since the 19th century, and it became especially popular after the movie Gone with the Wind (1939), in which it was the nickname of Scarlett's daughter.
Briar
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: BRIE-ər
Rating: 30% based on 7 votes
From the English word for the thorny plant.
Briseis
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Βρισηΐς(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: brie-SEE-is(English)
Rating: 43% based on 4 votes
Patronymic derived from
Βρισεύς (Briseus), a Greek name of unknown meaning. In Greek
mythology Briseis (real name Hippodameia) was the daughter of Briseus. She was captured during the Trojan War by
Achilles. After
Agamemnon took her away from him, Achilles refused to fight in the war.
Bunty
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scots, English
Pronounced: BUN-ti(Scots)
Rating: 35% based on 4 votes
Originally an English and Scottish term of endearment derived from Scots
buntin "plump, short and stout" referring to a plump child (possibly with the intended meaning of "good healthy baby" or "dear little one"). In Scotland this name is frequently used as a diminutive of
Margaret.
The name's use as a formal given name was inspired by George Moffat's 1910/1911 highly popular comic play "Bunty Pulls The Strings" which was made into a silent film in 1921.
Caitlin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: KAYT-lin(English)
Rating: 43% based on 10 votes
Calista
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Portuguese (Rare), Spanish (Rare)
Pronounced: kə-LIS-tə(English) ka-LEES-ta(Spanish)
Rating: 44% based on 7 votes
Feminine form of
Callistus. As an English name it might also be a variant of
Kallisto.
Calixta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese (Rare)
Pronounced: ka-LEEKS-ta(Spanish)
Rating: 23% based on 6 votes
Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of
Calixtus.
Calypso
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Καλυψώ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: kə-LIP-so(English)
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
From Greek
Καλυψώ (Kalypso), which probably meant
"she that conceals", derived from
καλύπτω (kalypto) meaning "to cover, to conceal". In Greek
myth this was the name of the nymph who fell in love with
Odysseus after he was shipwrecked on her island of Ogygia. When he refused to stay with her she detained him for seven years until
Zeus ordered her to release him.
Cambri
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Rating: 25% based on 4 votes
Cambria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various (Rare)
Pronounced: KAM-bree-ə(English)
Rating: 42% based on 6 votes
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.
Camila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: ka-MEE-la(Spanish)
Rating: 34% based on 7 votes
Spanish and Portuguese form of
Camilla.
Candela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: kan-DEH-la
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
Candida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman, English
Pronounced: KAN-di-də(English)
Rating: 16% based on 5 votes
Late Latin name derived from
candidus meaning
"white". This was the name of several early
saints, including a woman supposedly healed by Saint
Peter. As an English name, it came into use after George Bernard Shaw's play
Candida (1898).
Caridad
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ka-ree-DHADH
Rating: 22% based on 5 votes
Means
"charity" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de la Caridad, meaning "Our Lady of Charity". This is the name of the patron
saint of Cuba, with a shrine located in the town of El Cobre.
Carmen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, English, Italian, Portuguese, French, Romanian, German
Pronounced: KAR-mehn(Spanish, Italian) KAHR-mən(English)
Rating: 46% based on 7 votes
Medieval Spanish form of
Carmel, appearing in the devotional title of the Virgin
Mary Nuestra Señora del Carmen meaning "Our Lady of Mount Carmel". The spelling has been altered through association with the Latin word
carmen meaning
"song". This was the name of the main character in George Bizet's opera
Carmen (1875).
Caroline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: KA-RAW-LEEN(French) KAR-ə-lien(English) KAR-ə-lin(English) ka-ro-LEE-nə(German, Dutch) ka-ro-LEEN(Dutch)
Rating: 53% based on 9 votes
Caspia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
From the name of the caspia plant and feminization of
Caspian.
Celestia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: sə-LEHS-tee-ə
Rating: 35% based on 4 votes
Celestina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Italian
Pronounced: theh-lehs-TEE-na(European Spanish) seh-lehs-TEE-na(Latin American Spanish) cheh-leh-STEE-na(Italian)
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
Chabela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Galician
Rating: 33% based on 7 votes
Charlotte
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: SHAR-LAWT(French) SHAHR-lət(English) shar-LAW-tə(German) sha-LOT(Swedish) shahr-LAW-tə(Dutch)
Rating: 59% based on 7 votes
French feminine
diminutive of
Charles. It was introduced to Britain in the 17th century. It was the name of a German-born 18th-century queen consort of Great Britain and Ireland. Another notable bearer was Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855), the eldest of the three Brontë sisters and the author of
Jane Eyre and
Villette. A famous fictional bearer is the spider in the children's novel
Charlotte's Web (1952) by E. B. White.
This name was fairly common in France, England and the United States in the early 20th century. It became quite popular in France and England at the end of the 20th century, just when it was at a low point in the United States. It quickly climbed the American charts and entered the top ten in 2014.
Chenoa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: American (Modern), Spanish (Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: shə-NO-ə(American) cheh-NO-a(Spanish)
Rating: 36% based on 8 votes
From the name of the American town of Chenoa, Illinois. The word
Chenoa (or
Chenoka) is probably one of many Native American names for the Kentucky River, and it was chosen by the city founder as a reference to his native state of Kentucky. Contrary to popular belief, Chenoa is not a Cherokee word meaning "white dove".
In Spain, it has been popularized by singer Laura Corradini (1975-), artisticly known as Chenoa.
Citlali
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Nahuatl
Rating: 35% based on 6 votes
Claire
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: KLEHR
Rating: 48% based on 11 votes
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.
Clara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, Catalan, Romanian, English, Swedish, Danish, Late Roman
Pronounced: KLA-ra(German, Spanish, Italian) KLA-ru(Portuguese) KLA-RA(French) KLEHR-ə(American English) KLAR-ə(American English) KLAH-rə(British English)
Rating: 59% based on 11 votes
Feminine form of the Late Latin name
Clarus, which meant
"clear, bright, famous". The name
Clarus was borne by a few early
saints. The feminine form was popularized by the 13th-century Saint Clare of Assisi (called
Chiara in Italian), a friend and follower of Saint Francis, who left her wealthy family to found the order of nuns known as the Poor Clares.
As an English name it has been in use since the Middle Ages, originally in the form Clare, though the Latinate spelling Clara overtook it in the 19th century and became very popular. It declined through most of the 20th century (being eclipsed by the French form Claire in English-speaking countries), though it has since recovered somewhat.
Clarissa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian
Pronounced: klə-RIS-ə(English)
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
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.
Cleo
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLEE-o
Rating: 49% based on 9 votes
Cleofina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian (Rare)
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Feminine Italian diminutive of
Cleophas.
Clover
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KLO-vər
Rating: 24% based on 5 votes
From the English word for the wild flower, ultimately deriving from Old English clafre.
Coco
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
Pronounced: KO-ko(English)
Rating: 25% based on 8 votes
Diminutive of names beginning with
Co, influenced by the word
cocoa. However, this was not the case for French fashion designer Coco Chanel (1883-1971; real name Gabrielle), whose nickname came from the name of a song she performed while working as a cabaret singer.
Cosima
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: KAW-zee-ma
Rating: 30% based on 7 votes
Italian feminine form of
Cosimo.
Cosmia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek (Latinized, Rare), Spanish (Rare), Italian (Rare), English (Rare)
Other Scripts: Κοσμία(Greek)
Rating: 12% based on 5 votes
Latinized form of the Greek name Κοσμία (Kosmia), which meant "orderly, decent".
Cosmina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Romanian
Pronounced: kos-MEE-na
Rating: 22% based on 6 votes
Daisy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAY-zee
Rating: 45% based on 11 votes
Simply from the English word for the white flower, ultimately derived from Old English
dægeseage meaning "day eye". It was first used as a given name in the 19th century, at the same time many other plant and flower names were coined.
This name was fairly popular at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th. The American author F. Scott Fitzgerald used it for the character of Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby (1925). The Walt Disney cartoon character Daisy Duck was created in 1940 as the girlfriend of Donald Duck. It was at a low in popularity in the United States in the 1970s when it got a small boost from a character on the television series The Dukes of Hazzard in 1979.
Darla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAHR-lə
Rating: 30% based on 4 votes
Delta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DEHL-tə
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
From the name of the fourth letter in the Greek alphabet,
Δ. It is also the name for an island formed at the mouth of a river.
Denali
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: də-NAHL-ee
Rating: 38% based on 6 votes
From the indigenous Koyukon name of a mountain in Alaska, allegedly meaning "great one". Commonly known as Mount McKinley in the English-speaking world, Denali is the tallest peak in North America. It is also the name of a car brand (made by General Motors).
Dilys
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 18% based on 6 votes
Means "genuine" in Welsh. It has been used since the late 19th century.
Dorothy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DAWR-ə-thee, DAWR-thee
Rating: 51% based on 7 votes
Usual English form of
Dorothea. It has been in use since the 16th century. The author L. Frank Baum used it for the central character, Dorothy Gale, in his fantasy novel
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) and several of its sequels.
Dove
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DUV
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
From the English word for the variety of bird, seen as a symbol of peace.
Drew
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: DROO
Rating: 39% based on 8 votes
Dulcinea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: dool-thee-NEH-a(European Spanish) dool-see-NEH-a(Latin American Spanish) dul-si-NEE-ə(English)
Rating: 45% based on 6 votes
Derived from Spanish dulce meaning "sweet". This name was (first?) used by Miguel de Cervantes in his novel Don Quixote (1605), where it belongs to the love interest of the main character, though she never actually appears in the story.
Eden
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hebrew, English (Modern), French (Modern)
Other Scripts: עֵדֶן(Hebrew)
Pronounced: EE-dən(English)
Rating: 47% based on 10 votes
From the biblical place name, itself possibly from Hebrew
עֵדֶן (ʿeḏen) meaning "pleasure, delight"
[1], or perhaps derived from Sumerian
𒂔 (edin) meaning "plain". According to the
Old Testament the Garden of Eden was the place where the first people,
Adam and
Eve, lived before they were expelled.
Edith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: EE-dith(English) EH-dit(German, Swedish)
Rating: 48% based on 6 votes
From the Old English name
Eadgyð, derived from the elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
guð "battle". It was popular among Anglo-Saxon royalty, being borne for example by
Saint Eadgyeth;, the daughter of King Edgar the Peaceful. It was also borne by the Anglo-Saxon wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I. The name remained common after the
Norman Conquest. It became rare after the 15th century, but was revived in the 19th century.
Edwina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ehd-WEEN-ə, ehd-WIN-ə
Rating: 43% based on 6 votes
Eleonore
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: eh-leh-o-NO-rə
Rating: 45% based on 6 votes
Elise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, English
Pronounced: eh-LEE-zə(German) eh-LEE-seh(Norwegian, Danish, Swedish) i-LEES(English) EE-lees(English)
Rating: 43% based on 7 votes
Elizabeth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: i-LIZ-ə-bəth(English)
Rating: 69% based on 9 votes
From
Ἐλισάβετ (Elisabet), the Greek form of the Hebrew name
אֱלִישֶׁבַע (ʾElishevaʿ) meaning
"my God is an oath", derived from the roots
אֵל (ʾel) referring to the Hebrew God and
שָׁבַע (shavaʿ) meaning "oath". The Hebrew form appears in the
Old Testament where Elisheba is the wife of
Aaron, while the Greek form appears in the
New Testament where Elizabeth is the mother of
John the Baptist.
Among Christians, this name was originally more common in Eastern Europe. It was borne in the 12th century by Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, a daughter of King Andrew II who used her wealth to help the poor. In medieval England it was occasionally used in honour of the saint, though the form Isabel (from Occitan and Spanish) was more common. It has been very popular in England since the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century. In American name statistics (as recorded since 1880) it has never ranked lower than 30, making it the most consistently popular name for girls in the United States.
Besides Elizabeth I, this name has been borne (in various spellings) by many other European royals, including a ruling empress of Russia in the 18th century. Famous modern bearers include the British queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) and actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011).
Ellinor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Rating: 34% based on 7 votes
Eloisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: eh-lo-EE-za
Rating: 23% based on 6 votes
Eloise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-o-eez, ehl-o-EEZ
Rating: 34% based on 7 votes
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.
Elouise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHL-o-eez, ehl-o-EEZ
Rating: 22% based on 6 votes
Embla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norse Mythology, Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian
Pronounced: EHM-blah(Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian)
Rating: 27% based on 6 votes
Meaning uncertain, perhaps related to Old Norse
almr "elm". In Norse
mythology Embla and her husband
Ask were the first humans. They were created by three of the gods from two trees.
Emilia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Finnish, Polish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English, Greek, Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Αιμιλία(Greek) Емилия(Bulgarian)
Pronounced: eh-MEE-lya(Italian, Spanish, Polish) EH-mee-lee-ah(Finnish) eh-MEE-lee-ah(Swedish) i-MEE-lee-ə(English) eh-mee-LEE-a(Greek)
Rating: 58% based on 11 votes
Feminine form of
Aemilius (see
Emily). In Shakespeare's tragedy
Othello (1603) this is the name of the wife of
Iago.
Emilie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Czech
Pronounced: eh-MEE-lyə(German) eh-MEE-lee-eh(Norwegian) EHM-i-lee(Swedish)
Rating: 33% based on 6 votes
German, Scandinavian and Czech feminine form of
Aemilius (see
Emily).
Émilienne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: EH-MEE-LYEHN
Rating: 42% based on 6 votes
French feminine form of
Aemilianus (see
Emiliano).
Emily
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHM-ə-lee
Rating: 48% based on 10 votes
English feminine form of
Aemilius (see
Emil). In the English-speaking world it was not common until after the German House of Hanover came to the British throne in the 18th century; the princess Amelia Sophia (1711-1786) was commonly known as
Emily in English, even though
Amelia is an unrelated name.
This name was moderately popular through most of the 20th century, and became very popular around the turn of the 21st century. It was the highest ranked name for girls in the United States from 1996 to 2007, attaining similar levels in other English-speaking countries around the same time.
Famous bearers include the British author Emily Brontë (1818-1848), known for the novel Wuthering Heights, and the American poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886).
Emlyn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Welsh
Pronounced: EHM-lin
Rating: 52% based on 5 votes
From the name of an ancient region of southwestern Wales, its name meaning
"around the valley" from Welsh
am "around" and
glyn "valley". It has also been suggested that this name is a Welsh form of Latin
Aemilianus (see
Emiliano), though this appears to be unfounded.
Emma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Latvian, Dutch, German, Hungarian, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: EHM-ə(English) EH-MA(French) EHM-ma(Spanish) EHM-mah(Finnish) EH-ma(Dutch, German) EHM-maw(Hungarian)
Rating: 47% based on 11 votes
Originally a short form of Germanic names that began with the element
irmin meaning
"whole" or
"great" (Proto-Germanic *
ermunaz). It was introduced to England by Emma of Normandy, who was the wife both of King Ethelred II (and by him the mother of Edward the Confessor) and later of King Canute. It was also borne by an 11th-century Austrian
saint, who is sometimes called
Hemma.
After the Norman Conquest this name became common in England. It was revived in the 18th century, perhaps in part due to Matthew Prior's 1709 poem Henry and Emma [2]. It was also used by Jane Austen for the central character, the matchmaker Emma Woodhouse, in her novel Emma (1816).
In the United States, it was third in rank in 1880 (behind only the ubiquitous Mary and Anna). It declined steadily over the next century, beginning another rise in the 1980s and eventually becoming the most popular name for girls in 2008. At this time it also experienced similar levels of popularity elsewhere, including the United Kingdom (where it began rising a decade earlier), Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia and the Netherlands. Famous bearers include the actresses Emma Thompson (1959-), Emma Stone (1988-) and Emma Watson (1990-).
Emmeline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHM-ə-leen, EHM-ə-lien
Rating: 47% based on 7 votes
From Old French
Emeline, a
diminutive of Germanic names beginning with the element
amal meaning
"unceasing, vigorous, brave". The
Normans introduced this name to England.
Emmelise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Rating: 26% based on 5 votes
Ernestine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, German, English
Pronounced: EHR-NEHS-TEEN(French) ehr-nehs-TEE-nə(German) UR-nis-teen(English)
Rating: 25% based on 4 votes
Esmeralda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, English, Albanian, Literature
Pronounced: ehz-meh-RAL-da(Spanish) izh-mi-RAL-du(European Portuguese) ehz-meh-ROW-du(Brazilian Portuguese) ehz-mə-RAHL-də(English)
Rating: 36% based on 7 votes
Means "emerald" in Spanish and Portuguese. Victor Hugo used this name in his novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831), in which Esmeralda is the Romani girl who is loved by Quasimodo. It has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world since that time.
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: 54% based on 8 votes
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].
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: 54% based on 9 votes
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.
Félicité
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: FEH-LEE-SEE-TEH
Rating: 43% based on 7 votes
Ferelith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish (Rare), English (British, Rare)
Rating: 26% based on 5 votes
Fidelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: fee-DHEH-lya
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Feminine form of
Fidel. It appears in the epic poem
The Faerie Queene (1590) belonging to the sister of
Speranza.
Fidelma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: fi-DEHL-mə(English)
Rating: 26% based on 5 votes
Fioralba
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian (Rare)
Rating: 20% based on 5 votes
Combination of Italian
fiore "flower" (Latin
flos) and
alba "dawn".
Fiorella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: fyo-REHL-la
Rating: 40% based on 7 votes
From Italian
fiore "flower" combined with a
diminutive suffix.
Flaka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Rating: 8% based on 6 votes
From Albanian flakë meaning "flame".
Flordeliza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Filipino
Rating: 25% based on 6 votes
Florentine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: FLAW-RAHN-TEEN
Rating: 37% based on 6 votes
Frances
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FRAN-sis
Rating: 43% based on 4 votes
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.
Francesca
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Catalan
Pronounced: fran-CHEHS-ka(Italian) frən-SEHS-kə(Catalan)
Rating: 50% based on 7 votes
Italian and Catalan feminine form of
Franciscus (see
Francis).
Francine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: FRAHN-SEEN(French) fran-SEEN(English)
Rating: 32% based on 5 votes
Franka 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch
Pronounced: FRANG-ka(German)
Rating: 23% based on 8 votes
German and Dutch feminine form of
Frank.
Frankie
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FRANGK-ee
Rating: 30% based on 6 votes
Frida 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Germanic [1]
Rating: 40% based on 7 votes
Originally a short form of names containing the Old German element
fridu meaning
"peace" (Proto-Germanic *
friþuz). A famous bearer was the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907-1954).
Friederike
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: free-də-REE-kə
Rating: 23% based on 6 votes
Gabriella
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Hungarian, English, Swedish
Pronounced: ga-bree-EHL-la(Italian) GAWB-ree-ehl-law(Hungarian) ga-bree-EHL-ə(English) gah-bree-EHL-lah(Swedish)
Rating: 31% based on 9 votes
Gemma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Catalan, English (British), Dutch
Pronounced: JEHM-ma(Italian) ZHEHM-mə(Catalan) JEHM-ə(British English) GHEH-ma(Dutch)
Rating: 43% based on 8 votes
Medieval Italian nickname meaning "gem, precious stone". It was borne by the wife of the 13th-century Italian poet Dante Alighieri.
Georgia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Greek
Other Scripts: Γεωργία(Greek)
Pronounced: JAWR-jə(English) yeh-or-YEE-a(Greek)
Rating: 45% based on 8 votes
Latinate feminine form of
George. This is the name of an American state, which was named after the British king George II. The country of Georgia has an unrelated etymology. A famous bearer was the American painter Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986).
Giada
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: JA-da
Rating: 30% based on 6 votes
Gigi 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHEE-ZHEE
Rating: 22% based on 5 votes
Ginger
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JIN-jər
Rating: 21% based on 8 votes
From the English word
ginger for the spice or the reddish-brown colour. It can also be a
diminutive of
Virginia, as in the case of actress and dancer Ginger Rogers (1911-1995), by whom the name was popularized.
Giuseppa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: joo-ZEHP-pa
Rating: 25% based on 6 votes
Golda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yiddish
Other Scripts: גאָלדאַ, גאָלדע(Yiddish) גּוֹלְדָּה(Hebrew)
Rating: 32% based on 5 votes
From Yiddish
גאָלד (gold) meaning
"gold". This is the name of Tevye's wife in the musical
Fiddler on the Roof (1964). It was also borne by the Israeli prime minister Golda Meir (1898-1978).
Grace
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GRAYS
Rating: 46% based on 11 votes
From the English word
grace, which ultimately derives from Latin
gratia. This was one of the virtue names created in the 17th century by the
Puritans. The actress Grace Kelly (1929-1982) was a famous bearer.
This name was very popular in the English-speaking world at the end of the 19th century. Though it declined in use over the next 100 years, it staged a successful comeback at the end of the 20th century. The American sitcom Will and Grace (1998-2006) may have helped, though the name was already strongly rising when it premiered. It was the top name for girls in England and Wales in 2006.
Guadalupe
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ghwa-dha-LOO-peh
Rating: 36% based on 7 votes
From a Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, meaning "Our Lady of Guadalupe". Guadalupe is a Spanish place name, the site of a famous convent, derived from Arabic
وادي (wādī) meaning "valley, river" possibly combined with Latin
lupus meaning "wolf". In the 16th century Our Lady of Guadalupe supposedly appeared in a vision to a native Mexican man, and she is now regarded as a patron
saint of the Americas.
Hailey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: HAY-lee
Rating: 43% based on 9 votes
Variant of
Hayley. This is currently the most common spelling in the United States, surpassing
Haley in 2001 and attaining a high rank of 19th in 2010.
Hanami
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 花見(Japanese Kanji) はなみ(Japanese Hiragana) ハナミ(Japanese Katakana)
Pronounced: HA-NAH-MEE
Rating: 38% based on 4 votes
From Japanese 花見 (
hanami) meaning "flower view" or "blossom view" combining 花 (
hana) meaning "flower" and 見 (
mi) which actually means "view, see, viewing"
This might be a reference to a beautiful view of some cherry blossoms trees, Sakura, in Japan.
Haven
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAY-vən
Rating: 20% based on 5 votes
From the English word for a safe place, derived ultimately from Old English hæfen.
Hazel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAY-zəl
Rating: 68% based on 6 votes
From the English word hazel for the tree or the light brown colour, derived ultimately from Old English hæsel. It was coined as a given name in the 19th century and quickly became popular, reaching the 18th place for girls in the United States by 1897. It fell out of fashion in the second half of the 20th century, but has since recovered.
Heather
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HEDH-ər
Rating: 40% based on 7 votes
From the English word heather for the variety of small shrubs with pink or white flowers, which commonly grow in rocky areas. It is derived from Middle English hather. It was first used as a given name in the late 19th century, though it did not become popular until the last half of the 20th century.
Hedi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, German (Swiss), Estonian, Croatian
Rating: 27% based on 6 votes
Heidi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, English
Pronounced: HIE-dee(German, English) HAY-dee(Finnish)
Rating: 50% based on 9 votes
German
diminutive of
Adelheid. This is the name of the title character in the children's novel
Heidi (1880) by the Swiss author Johanna Spyri. The name began to be used in the English-speaking world shortly after the 1937 release of the movie adaptation, which starred Shirley Temple.
Helen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Greek Mythology (Anglicized)
Other Scripts: Ἑλένη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HEHL-ən(English)
Rating: 50% based on 7 votes
English form of the Greek
Ἑλένη (Helene), probably from Greek
ἑλένη (helene) meaning
"torch" or
"corposant", or possibly related to
σελήνη (selene) meaning
"moon". In Greek
mythology Helen was the daughter of
Zeus and
Leda, whose kidnapping by
Paris was the cause of the Trojan War. The name was also borne by the 4th-century
Saint Helena, mother of the Roman emperor
Constantine, who supposedly found the True Cross during a trip to Jerusalem.
The name was originally used among early Christians in honour of the saint, as opposed to the classical character. In England it was commonly spelled Ellen during the Middle Ages, and the spelling Helen was not regularly used until after the Renaissance. A famous bearer was Helen Keller (1880-1968), an American author and lecturer who was both blind and deaf.
Honor
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: AHN-ər
Rating: 33% based on 4 votes
Variant of
Honour, using the American spelling.
Hope
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HOP
Rating: 42% based on 9 votes
From the English word
hope, ultimately from Old English
hopian. This name was first used by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Hosanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Pronounced: ho-ZAN-ə(English)
Rating: 38% based on 4 votes
From the Aramaic religious expression
הושע נא (Hoshaʿ na) meaning
"deliver us" in Hebrew. In the
New Testament this is exclaimed by those around
Jesus when he first enters Jerusalem.
Ida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Italian, French, Polish, Finnish, Hungarian, Slovak, Slovene, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: IE-də(English) EE-da(German, Dutch, Italian, Polish) EE-dah(Swedish, Norwegian, Danish) EE-daw(Hungarian)
Rating: 60% based on 8 votes
Derived from the Germanic element
id possibly meaning
"work, labour" (Proto-Germanic *
idiz). The
Normans brought this name to England, though it eventually died out there in the Middle Ages. It was strongly revived in the 19th century, in part due to the heroine in Alfred Tennyson's poem
The Princess (1847), which was later adapted into the play
Princess Ida (1884) by Gilbert and Sullivan.
Though the etymology is unrelated, this is the name of a mountain on the island of Crete where, according to Greek myth, the god Zeus was born.
Ilinka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Macedonian, Serbian, Croatian
Other Scripts: Илинка(Macedonian, Serbian)
Rating: 30% based on 5 votes
Indie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: IN-dee
Rating: 27% based on 7 votes
Possibly a
diminutive of
India or
Indiana, but also likely inspired by the term
indie, short for
independent, which is typically used to refer to media produced outside of the mainstream.
Indrani
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hinduism, Bengali, Hindi
Other Scripts: इन्द्राणी(Sanskrit) ইন্দ্রানী(Bengali) इन्द्राणी, इंद्राणी(Hindi)
Rating: 28% based on 5 votes
Means
"wife of Indra" in Sanskrit. This is a
Vedic Hindu goddess who is the wife of
Indra. She is associated with beauty and jealousy.
Iris
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, French, Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Slovene, Croatian, Greek
Other Scripts: Ἶρις(Ancient Greek) Ίρις(Greek)
Pronounced: IE-ris(English) EE-ris(German, Dutch) EE-rees(Finnish, Spanish, Catalan, Italian) EE-REES(French)
Rating: 51% based on 10 votes
Means "rainbow" in Greek. Iris was the name of the Greek goddess of the rainbow, also serving as a messenger to the gods. This name can also be given in reference to the word (which derives from the same Greek source) for the iris flower or the coloured part of the eye.
Irisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian, Latvian (Rare), Slovak (Rare)
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
Israela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: ישראלה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ees-rah-E-lah
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Jane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JAYN
Rating: 46% based on 8 votes
Medieval English form of
Jehanne, an Old French feminine form of
Iohannes (see
John). This became the most common feminine form of
John in the 17th century, surpassing
Joan. In the first half of the 20th century
Joan once again overtook
Jane for a few decades in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Famous bearers include the uncrowned English queen Lady Jane Grey (1536-1554), who ruled for only nine days, British novelist Jane Austen (1775-1817), who wrote Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, British primatologist Jane Goodall (1934-), and American actress Jane Fonda (1937-). This is also the name of the central character in Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre (1847), which tells of Jane's sad childhood and her relationship with Edward Rochester.
Jemima
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical, English
Other Scripts: יְמִימָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: jə-MIE-mə(English)
Rating: 46% based on 9 votes
Traditionally said to mean
"dove", it may actually be related to Hebrew
יוֹמָם (yomam) meaning
"daytime" [1]. This was the oldest of the three daughters of
Job in the
Old Testament. As an English name,
Jemima first became common during the
Puritan era.
Johanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Hungarian, Finnish, Estonian, English, Late Roman
Pronounced: yo-HA-na(German) yuw-HAN-na(Swedish) yo-HAHN-nah(Danish) yo-HAH-na(Dutch) YO-hawn-naw(Hungarian) YO-hahn-nah(Finnish) jo-HAN-ə(English) jo-AN-ə(English)
Rating: 45% based on 8 votes
Latinate form of Greek
Ioanna (see
Joanna).
Josepha
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch, German (Archaic), English (Rare)
Pronounced: yo-SEH-fa(Dutch) YO-sə-fa(Dutch) yo-ZEH-fa(German)
Rating: 27% based on 6 votes
Journey
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JUR-nee
Rating: 29% based on 8 votes
From the English word, derived via Old French from Latin diurnus "of the day".
Jubilee
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern), Popular Culture
Pronounced: joo-bə-LEE(English) JOO-bə-lee(English)
Rating: 26% based on 7 votes
From the English word
jubilee meaning "season of rejoicing", which is derived from Hebrew יוֹבֵל
(yovel) "ram, ram's horn; a jubilee year: a year of rest, prescribed by the Jewish Bible to occur each fiftieth year, after seven cycles of seven years; a period of celebration or rejoicing" (via Late Latin
iubilaeus and Greek ἰώβηλος
(iobelos)). In Latin, the form of the word was altered by association with the unrelated Latin verb
iubilare "to shout with joy".
It may also refer to African-American folk songs known as Jubilees.
In popular culture, Jubilee is the 'mutant' name (a contraction of Jubilation Lee) of one of the protagonists of Marvel's X-Men line of comics.
Julia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Spanish, Polish, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Ukrainian, Ancient Roman, Biblical
Other Scripts: Юлия(Russian) Юлія(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: JOO-lee-ə(English) YOO-lya(German, Danish, Polish) YOO-lee-ah(Swedish, Finnish) YUY-lee-a(Dutch) KHOO-lya(Spanish) YOO-lyi-yə(Russian) YOO-lee-a(Latin)
Rating: 54% based on 10 votes
Feminine form of the Roman family name
Julius. Among the notable women from this family were Julia Augusta (also known as Livia Drusilla), the wife of Emperor
Augustus, and Julia the Elder, the daughter of Augustus and the wife of
Tiberius. A person by this name has a brief mention in the
New Testament. It was also borne by a few early
saints and martyrs, including the patron saint of Corsica. Additionally, Shakespeare used it in his comedy
The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594).
It has been common as a given name in the English-speaking world only since the 18th century. A famous modern bearer is American actress Julia Roberts (1967-).
Juliet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: joo-lee-EHT, JOOL-yət
Rating: 68% based on 14 votes
Anglicized form of
Giulietta or
Juliette. This spelling was used for the ill-fated lover of
Romeo in the play
Romeo and Juliet (1596) by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare based his story on earlier Italian tales such as
Giulietta e Romeo (1524) by Luigi Da Porto.
Jumana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: جمانة(Arabic)
Pronounced: joo-MA-na
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
Means "pearl" in Arabic.
Juneau
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (American, Modern, Rare)
Pronounced: JOO-no(American English)
Rating: 30% based on 6 votes
Variant of
Juno modeled after the Alaskan city of
Juneau.
Junia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: YOO-nee-a(Latin)
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Feminine form of
Junius. This is the name of an early Christian mentioned in
Paul's epistle to the Romans in the
New Testament (there is some debate about whether the name belongs to a woman
Junia or a man
Junias).
Juniper
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JOON-i-pər
Rating: 46% based on 7 votes
From the English word for the type of tree, derived ultimately from Latin iuniperus.
Juno
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Roman Mythology
Pronounced: YOO-no(Latin) JOO-no(English)
Rating: 41% based on 9 votes
Meaning unknown, possibly related to an Indo-European root meaning
"young", or possibly of Etruscan origin. In Roman
mythology Juno was the wife of
Jupiter and the queen of the heavens. She was the protectress of marriage and women, and was also the goddess of finance.
Justine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: ZHUYS-TEEN(French) jus-TEEN(English)
Rating: 27% based on 6 votes
French form of
Iustina (see
Justina). This is the name of the heroine in the novel
Justine (1791) by the Marquis de Sade.
Kanani
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: ka-NA-nee
Rating: 32% based on 5 votes
Means "the beauty" from Hawaiian ka "the" and nani "beauty, glory".
Katida
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Esperanto
Pronounced: ka-TEE-da
Rating: 10% based on 5 votes
From Esperanto katido meaning "kitten", ultimately from Latin cattus.
Kayleigh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAY-lee
Rating: 41% based on 9 votes
Variant of
Kaylee. This particular spelling was popularized by a 1985 song by the British band Marillion.
Kerstin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, German
Pronounced: SHASH-tin(Swedish) KEHR-steen(German)
Rating: 40% based on 7 votes
Kitiara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (American), Catalan (Rare)
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
Kitty
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KIT-ee
Rating: 32% based on 5 votes
Klara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, German, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian
Other Scripts: Клара(Russian, Ukrainian)
Pronounced: KLA-ra(German, Polish) KLA-rə(Russian)
Rating: 44% based on 9 votes
Form of
Clara in various languages.
Lakelyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern, Rare)
Rating: 22% based on 6 votes
Elaboration of
Lake using the popular name suffix
lyn.
Laoise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: LEE-shə
Rating: 26% based on 5 votes
Possibly a newer form of
Luigsech, or from the name of the county of Laois in central Ireland. It is also used as an Irish form of
Lucy or
Louise.
Laura
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, French, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Lithuanian, Latvian, Late Roman
Pronounced: LAWR-ə(English) LOW-ra(Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, German, Dutch) LOW-ru(Portuguese) LOW-rə(Catalan) LAW-RA(French) LOW-rah(Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish) LAW-oo-raw(Hungarian)
Rating: 55% based on 8 votes
Feminine form of the Late Latin name
Laurus, which meant
"laurel". This meaning was favourable, since in ancient Rome the leaves of laurel trees were used to create victors' garlands. The name was borne by the 9th-century Spanish martyr
Saint Laura, who was a nun thrown into a vat of molten lead by the Moors. It was also the name of the subject of poems by the 14th-century Italian poet Petrarch.
As an English name, Laura has been used since the 13th century. Famous bearers include Laura Secord (1775-1868), a Canadian heroine during the War of 1812, and Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957), an American author who wrote the Little House on the Prairie series of novels.
Laurel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAWR-əl
Rating: 47% based on 9 votes
From the name of the laurel tree, ultimately from Latin laurus.
Lauren
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LAWR-ən
Rating: 49% based on 9 votes
Variant or feminine form of
Laurence 1. Originally a masculine name, it was first popularized as a feminine name by actress Betty Jean Perske (1924-2014), who used Lauren Bacall as her
stage name.
Leilani
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: lay-LA-nee
Rating: 44% based on 7 votes
Means "heavenly flowers" or "royal child" from Hawaiian lei "flowers, lei, child" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
Leocadia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Late Roman
Pronounced: leh-o-KA-dhya(Spanish)
Rating: 49% based on 7 votes
Late Latin name that might be derived from the name of the Greek island of
Leucadia or from Greek
λευκός (leukos) meaning
"bright, clear, white" (which is also the root of the island's name).
Saint Leocadia was a 3rd-century martyr from Spain.
Leonor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: leh-o-NOR(Spanish) leh-oo-NOR(European Portuguese) leh-o-NOKH(Brazilian Portuguese)
Rating: 48% based on 9 votes
Spanish and Portuguese form of
Eleanor. It was brought to Spain in the 12th-century by Eleanor of England, who married King Alfonso VIII of Castile.
Leonore
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: leh-o-NO-rə
Rating: 41% based on 8 votes
Leto
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Λητώ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: LEH-TAW(Classical Greek) LEE-to(English)
Rating: 18% based on 6 votes
Possibly from Lycian
lada meaning
"wife". Other theories connect it to Greek
λήθω (letho) meaning
"hidden, forgotten". In Greek
mythology she was the mother of
Apollo and
Artemis by
Zeus.
Lieselotte
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: LEE-zeh-law-tə
Rating: 44% based on 9 votes
Lilavati
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Sanskrit
Other Scripts: लीलावती(Sanskrit)
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Means "amusing, charming, graceful" in Sanskrit. The 12th-century mathematician Bhaskara gave this name to one of his books on mathematics, possibly after his daughter. This was also the name of a 13th-century queen of Sri Lanka.
Lilinoe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian, Polynesian Mythology
Pronounced: lee-lee-NO-eh(Hawaiian)
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
From the word meaning "fine mist." A deity in Hawaiian mythology goes by this name, associated with Mauna Kea alongside Poliʻahu and Waiau.
Liliosa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: History (Ecclesiastical), Spanish (Philippines)
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
Feminine diminutive of Latin lilium "lily". This name belonged to an Iberian Christian woman martyred in Córdoba, Andalusia c.852 under Emir Abd ar-Rahman II, along with her husband Felix, his cousin Aurelius and Aurelius' wife Natalia.
Lilo
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: LEE-lo
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Means "generous" in Hawaiian. It was the name of a title character in Disney's 'Lilo and Stitch'.
Lilo
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: LEE-lo
Rating: 38% based on 6 votes
Lilwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 30% based on 4 votes
Combination of the Welsh elements lili "lily" and gwen "white; fair; blessed".
Lima
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 力馬, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: LEE-MAH
Rating: 21% based on 7 votes
Combination of the names
Li 1 and
Ma.
Linda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, French, Latvian, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Germanic
Pronounced: LIN-də(English) LIN-da(German, Dutch, Czech) LEEN-da(Italian) LEEN-DA(French) LEEN-dah(Finnish) LEEN-daw(Hungarian)
Rating: 30% based on 7 votes
Originally a medieval short form of Germanic names containing the element
lind meaning
"soft, flexible, tender" (Proto-Germanic *
linþaz). It also coincides with the Spanish and Portuguese word
linda meaning
"beautiful". In the English-speaking world this name experienced a spike in popularity beginning in the 1930s, peaking in the late 1940s, and declining shortly after that. It was the most popular name for girls in the United States from 1947 to 1952.
Lisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Italian
Pronounced: LEE-sə(English) LEE-za(German, Italian) LEE-sa(Dutch)
Rating: 34% based on 8 votes
Short form of
Elizabeth (though often used independently) and its cognates in other languages. This is the name of the subject of one of the world's most famous paintings, the
Mona Lisa, the portrait of Lisa del Giocondo by Leonardo da Vinci.
In the United States this form was more popular than the full form Elizabeth from 1958 to 1978, and was in fact the top ranked American name between 1962 and 1969.
Lisbeth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian
Pronounced: LEES-beht(German)
Rating: 44% based on 7 votes
German and Scandinavian short form of
Elisabeth. A notable fictional bearer is Lisbeth Salander from Swedish author Stieg Larsson's novel
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2005) as well as its sequels and movie adaptations.
Livith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
Rating: 23% based on 6 votes
Livna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: לִבְנָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 28% based on 4 votes
Means "white" in Hebrew.
Lorelei
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, English
Pronounced: LAWR-ə-lie(English)
Rating: 43% based on 10 votes
From German
Loreley, the name of a rock headland on the Rhine River. It is of uncertain meaning, though the second element is probably old German
ley meaning "rock" (of Celtic origin). German romantic poets and songwriters, beginning with Clemens Brentano in 1801, tell that a maiden named the Lorelei lives on the rock and lures boaters to their death with her song.
In the English-speaking world this name has been occasionally given since the early 20th century. It started rising in America after the variant Lorelai was used for the main character (and her daughter, nicknamed Rory) on the television series Gilmore Girls (2000-2007).
Luana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Rating: 45% based on 4 votes
Lucidia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Late Roman, Italian (Archaic), Spanish (Latin American, Rare)
Pronounced: loo-SID-ee-ə(English)
Rating: 32% based on 5 votes
Lucie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, Czech
Pronounced: LUY-SEE(French) loo-TSI-yeh(Czech)
Rating: 35% based on 8 votes
French and Czech form of
Lucia.
Lucila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: loo-THEE-la(European Spanish) loo-SEE-la(Latin American Spanish)
Rating: 25% based on 4 votes
Spanish and Portuguese form of
Lucilla.
Lucília
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
Lucille
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: LUY-SEEL(French) loo-SEEL(English)
Rating: 44% based on 8 votes
French form of
Lucilla. A famous bearer was American comedienne Lucille Ball (1911-1989).
Lucinda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Portuguese, Literature
Pronounced: loo-SIN-də(English)
Rating: 46% based on 7 votes
An elaboration of
Lucia created by Cervantes for his novel
Don Quixote (1605). It was subsequently used by Molière in his play
The Doctor in Spite of Himself (1666).
Lucinia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Rating: 23% based on 3 votes
Luise
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: loo-EE-zə
Rating: 27% based on 7 votes
Lulit
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Amharic
Other Scripts: ሉሊት(Amharic)
Rating: 23% based on 6 votes
From Amharic
ሉል (lul) meaning
"pearl".
Luljeta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Rating: 28% based on 5 votes
Means "flower of life" in Albanian, from lule "flower" and jetë "life".
Lumen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Popular Culture
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
This is the name of a fictional character from the television series "Dexter".
Lunalilo
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: Loonuh-LEE-Low
Rating: 5% based on 4 votes
One of Princess Kaiulani's (the people's princess) names.
Luzia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese, German
Rating: 28% based on 6 votes
Portuguese and German form of
Lucia.
Luzie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German (Rare), Friulian
Pronounced: LOO-tsee(German)
Rating: 29% based on 8 votes
Friulian form of
Lucia and German variant of
Luzia.
Mae
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAY
Rating: 48% based on 11 votes
Variant of
May. A famous bearer was the American actress Mae West (1893-1980), whose birth name was Mary.
Maeva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Tahitian, French
Pronounced: MA-EH-VA(French)
Rating: 25% based on 4 votes
Means "welcome" in Tahitian. It gained popularity in France during the 1980s.
Majlinda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Rating: 25% based on 6 votes
Derived from Albanian maj "May" and lind "to give birth".
Mamie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAY-mee
Rating: 17% based on 6 votes
Marcia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Spanish, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: MAHR-shə(English) mahr-SEE-ə(English) MAR-thya(European Spanish) MAR-sya(Latin American Spanish)
Rating: 16% based on 5 votes
Feminine form of
Marcius. It was borne by a few very minor
saints. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 18th century
[1].
Margalit
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: מַרְגָלִית(Hebrew)
Rating: 17% based on 6 votes
Margo
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAHR-go
Rating: 42% based on 5 votes
Maria
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Occitan, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Faroese, Dutch, Frisian, Greek, Polish, Romanian, English, Finnish, Estonian, Corsican, Sardinian, Basque, Armenian, Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Biblical Greek [1], Biblical Latin, Old Church Slavic
Other Scripts: Μαρία(Greek) Մարիա(Armenian) Мария(Russian, Bulgarian) Марія(Ukrainian) Маріа(Church Slavic)
Pronounced: ma-REE-a(Italian, German, Swedish, Dutch, Greek, Romanian, Basque) mu-REE-u(European Portuguese) ma-REE-u(Brazilian Portuguese) mə-REE-ə(Catalan, English) mah-REE-ah(Norwegian, Danish) MAR-ya(Polish) MAH-ree-ah(Finnish) mu-RYEE-yə(Russian) mu-RYEE-yu(Ukrainian)
Rating: 43% based on 7 votes
Latin form of Greek
Μαρία, from Hebrew
מִרְיָם (see
Mary).
Maria is the usual form of the name in many European languages, as well as a secondary form in other languages such as English (where the common spelling is
Mary). In some countries, for example Germany, Poland and Italy,
Maria is occasionally used as a masculine middle name.
This was the name of two ruling queens of Portugal. It was also borne by the Habsburg queen Maria Theresa (1717-1780), whose inheritance of the domains of her father, the Holy Roman emperor Charles VI, began the War of the Austrian Succession.
Marnie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MAHR-nee
Rating: 43% based on 8 votes
Possibly a
diminutive of
Marina. This name was brought to public attention by Alfred Hitchcock's movie
Marnie (1964), itself based on a 1961 novel by Winston Graham.
Mary
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Biblical
Pronounced: MEHR-ee(English) MAR-ee(English)
Rating: 51% based on 7 votes
Usual English form of
Maria, the Latin form of the
New Testament Greek names
Μαριάμ (Mariam) and
Μαρία (Maria) — the spellings are interchangeable — which were from Hebrew
מִרְיָם (Miryam), a name borne by the sister of
Moses in the
Old Testament. The meaning is not known for certain, but there are several theories including
"sea of bitterness",
"rebelliousness", and
"wished for child". However it was most likely originally an Egyptian name, perhaps derived in part from
mry "beloved" or
mr "love".
This is the name of several New Testament characters, most importantly Mary the mother of Jesus. According to the gospels, Jesus was conceived in her by the Holy Spirit while she remained a virgin. This name was also borne by Mary Magdalene, a woman cured of demons by Jesus. She became one of his followers and later witnessed his crucifixion and resurrection.
Due to the Virgin Mary this name has been very popular in the Christian world, though at certain times in some cultures it has been considered too holy for everyday use. In England it has been used since the 12th century, and it has been among the most common feminine names since the 16th century. In the United States in 1880 it was given more than twice as often as the next most popular name for girls (Anna). It remained in the top rank in America until 1946 when it was bumped to second (by Linda). Although it regained the top spot for a few more years in the 1950s it was already falling in usage, and has since dropped out of the top 100 names.
This name has been borne by two queens of England, as well as a queen of Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots. Another notable bearer was Mary Shelley (1797-1851), the author of Frankenstein. A famous fictional character by this name is Mary Poppins from the children's books by P. L. Travers, first published in 1934.
The Latinized form of this name, Maria, is also used in English as well as in several other languages.
Massimiliana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Maximilia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German (Rare, Archaic)
Rating: 20% based on 7 votes
Obscure feminine form of
Maximilian, in former times mainly used by noble families.
Bearers include Marie Franzisca Maximilia von Montbarrey (*1761), daughter of Alexandre Marie Léonor de Saint-Mauris, prince de Montbarrey and wife of Henry Louis, Prince of Nassau-Saarbrücken and Maximilia Eleonore Schwanberg von Bor (17th century).
Maximiliana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman
Rating: 22% based on 6 votes
Maximiliane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Rating: 36% based on 8 votes
Michelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, Dutch
Pronounced: MEE-SHEHL(French) mi-SHEHL(English) mee-SHEHL(Dutch) mee-SHEH-lə(Dutch)
Rating: 42% based on 9 votes
French feminine form of
Michel. It has been common in the English-speaking world since the middle of the 20th century. A famous bearer is the former American first lady Michelle Obama (1964-).
Mieke
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: MEE-kə
Rating: 39% based on 8 votes
Mika 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 美香, 美加, etc.(Japanese Kanji) みか(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MEE-KA
Rating: 47% based on 10 votes
From Japanese
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" combined with
香 (ka) meaning "fragrance" or
加 (ka) meaning "increase". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Mindy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MIN-dee
Rating: 24% based on 5 votes
Mirjeta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Derived from Albanian mirë "good" and jetë "life".
Mischa
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Dutch, German
Pronounced: MEE-sha
Rating: 36% based on 9 votes
Dutch and German form of
Misha. It is occasionally used as a feminine name in Dutch.
Morning
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: MOR-ning
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
From the English word "morning", ultimately from proto-Germanic murginaz "to flicker, twinkle, darken".
Nahla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, English (Modern)
Other Scripts: نهلة(Arabic)
Pronounced: NAH-la(Arabic) NAH-lə(English)
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
Possibly means "a drink of water" in Arabic. It is sometimes associated with the Arabic word نَحْلَة
(naḥla) meaning "bee".
This name gained some popularity in the United States after it was used by American actress Halle Berry for her daughter born 2008; in this case it could also be variant of Nala 2.
Namıka
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish
Rating: 25% based on 6 votes
Namıka is a Turkish word meaning "printer, writer".
Naomi 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical
Other Scripts: נָעֳמִי(Hebrew)
Pronounced: nay-O-mee(English) nie-O-mee(English)
Rating: 46% based on 7 votes
From the Hebrew name
נָעֳמִי (Naʿomi) meaning
"my pleasantness", a derivative of
נָעַם (naʿam) meaning "to be pleasant". In the
Old Testament this is the name of the mother-in-law of
Ruth. After the death of her husband and sons, she returned to Bethlehem with Ruth. There she declared that her name should be
Mara because of her misfortune (see
Ruth 1:20).
Though long common as a Jewish name, Naomi was not typically used as an English Christian name until after the Protestant Reformation. A notable bearer is the British model Naomi Campbell (1970-).
Nayeli
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Zapotec (Hispanicized), Spanish (Mexican)
Pronounced: na-YEH-lee(Spanish)
Rating: 37% based on 6 votes
Possibly from Zapotec nadxiie lii meaning "I love you" or nayele' meaning "open".
Nia 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swahili, African American
Rating: 31% based on 7 votes
Means
"purpose, aim" in Swahili, borrowed from Arabic
نيّة (nīya) [1].
Nicola 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, English
Pronounced: NI-ko-la(German) NIK-ə-lə(English)
Rating: 34% based on 9 votes
Feminine form of
Nicholas. In the English-speaking world this name is more common outside of America, where
Nicole is more usual.
Niloufar
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: نیلوفر(Persian)
Pronounced: nee-loo-FAR
Rating: 43% based on 6 votes
Means "water lily" in Persian.
Nima 1
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: نعمة(Arabic)
Pronounced: NEE‘-ma
Rating: 20% based on 5 votes
Means "blessing" in Arabic.
Nimo
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Somali
Pronounced: NEE-mo
Rating: 16% based on 5 votes
Somali version of the Arabic names
Nima 1 and
Nimat meaning "blessing."
Nimue
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arthurian Cycle
Pronounced: NIM-ə-way(English)
Rating: 44% based on 7 votes
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.
Noa 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch, Biblical
Other Scripts: נוֹעָה(Hebrew)
Pronounced: NO-a(Spanish)
Rating: 44% based on 11 votes
Modern Hebrew form of
Noah 2, the daughter of
Zelophehad in the Bible. It is also the form used in several other languages, as well as the spelling used in some English versions of the
Old Testament.
Noah 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: נֹעָה, נוֹעָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: NO-ə(English)
Rating: 49% based on 8 votes
From the Hebrew name
נֹעָה (Noʿa) meaning
"motion". In the
Old Testament this is the name of a daughter of
Zelophehad. In English this name is typically spelled the same as the name of the male biblical character
Noah, though in Hebrew they are written distinctly.
Noelani
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: no-eh-LA-nee
Rating: 45% based on 11 votes
Means "heavenly mist" from Hawaiian noe "mist" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
Noelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: no-EH-lya
Rating: 38% based on 6 votes
Spanish feminine form of
Noël.
Noemi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Czech, Polish, Romanian, German, Biblical Latin
Pronounced: no-EH-mee(Italian)
Rating: 52% based on 13 votes
Form of
Naomi 1 in several languages.
Noémia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese (European)
Rating: 32% based on 6 votes
European Portuguese form of
Naomi 1.
Noemin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: Νωεμίν(Ancient Greek)
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
Noraishah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Malay
Other Scripts: نورايشه(Malay Jawi)
Rating: 24% based on 5 votes
Nuria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: NOO-rya
Rating: 30% based on 6 votes
Oceana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), Brazilian (Rare, ?), German (Rare, ?)
Pronounced: o-shee-AWN-ə(English) o-shee-AN-ə(English) o-say-AH-nah(Brazilian)
Rating: 26% based on 8 votes
Feminine form of
Oceanus. As an English name, this was coined in the early 19th century.
Olivia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch
Pronounced: o-LIV-ee-ə(English) ə-LIV-ee-ə(English) o-LEE-vya(Italian, German) o-LEE-bya(Spanish) AW-LEE-VYA(French) O-lee-vee-ah(Finnish) o-LEE-vee-ya(Dutch)
Rating: 40% based on 6 votes
This name was used in this spelling by William Shakespeare for a character in his comedy
Twelfth Night (1602). This was a rare name in Shakespeare's time
[1] that may have been based on
Oliva or
Oliver, or directly on the Latin word
oliva meaning
"olive". In the play Olivia is a noblewoman wooed by Duke
Orsino. Instead she falls in love with his messenger Cesario, who is actually
Viola in disguise.
Olivia has been used in the English-speaking world since the 18th century, though it did not become overly popular until the last half of the 20th century. Its rise in popularity in the 1970s may have been inspired by a character on the television series The Waltons (1972-1982) [2] or the singer Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022). In 1989 it was borne by a young character on The Cosby Show, which likely accelerated its growth. It reached the top rank in England and Wales by 2008 and in the United States by 2019.
A famous bearer was the British-American actress Olivia de Havilland (1916-2020).
Orianthi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek (Rare)
Other Scripts: Οριάνθη(Greek)
Rating: 28% based on 5 votes
Probably derived from the Greek noun ὄρος
(oros) meaning "mountain, hill" (compare
Orestes) combined with the Greek noun ἄνθος
(anthos) meaning "flower". Also compare the similar-looking name
Orinthia, which can even be an anagram of Orianthi, if you move the letters around a bit.
This name is best known for being the name of the Australian singer-songwriter Orianthi Panagaris (b. 1985), who is of Greek descent.
Paisley
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: PAYZ-lee
Rating: 23% based on 8 votes
From a Scots surname, originally from the name of a town near Glasgow, maybe ultimately derived from Latin basilica "church". This is also a word (derived from the name of that same town) for a type of pattern commonly found on fabrics.
Palina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Belarusian
Other Scripts: Паліна(Belarusian)
Rating: 21% based on 7 votes
Paloma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: pa-LO-ma
Rating: 44% based on 8 votes
Means "dove, pigeon" in Spanish.
Pamela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PAM-ə-lə
Rating: 45% based on 4 votes
This name was invented in the late 16th century by the poet Philip Sidney for use in his romance
Arcadia (1593). He possibly intended it to mean
"all sweetness" from Greek
πᾶν (pan) meaning "all" and
μέλι (meli) meaning "honey". It was later employed by author Samuel Richardson for the heroine in his novel
Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded (1740), after which time it became used as a given name. It did not become popular until the 20th century.
Pamelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Rating: 20% based on 4 votes
Parisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: پریسا(Persian)
Rating: 45% based on 4 votes
Means
"like a fairy" in Persian, derived from
پری (parī) meaning "fairy, sprite, supernatural being".
Pauline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: PAW-LEEN(French) paw-LEEN(English) pow-LEE-nə(German)
Rating: 39% based on 8 votes
French feminine form of
Paulinus (see
Paulino).
Pelagia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], Greek, Polish (Rare)
Other Scripts: Πελαγία(Greek)
Pronounced: peh-LA-gya(Polish)
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
Feminine form of
Pelagius. This was the name of a few early
saints, including a young 4th-century martyr who threw herself from a rooftop in Antioch rather than lose her virginity.
Perla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish
Pronounced: PEHR-la
Rating: 23% based on 6 votes
Perpetua
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Late Roman
Pronounced: pehr-PEH-twa(Spanish)
Rating: 18% based on 6 votes
Derived from Latin
perpetuus meaning
"continuous". This was the name of a 3rd-century
saint martyred with another woman named Felicity.
Piper
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: PIE-pər
Rating: 42% based on 5 votes
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].
Pixie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (British)
Pronounced: PIK-see(English)
Rating: 12% based on 6 votes
From the English word pixie referring to a playful sprite or elf-/fairy-like creature, originating from Devon and Cornwall in southwest England.
Posy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: PO-zee
Rating: 43% based on 6 votes
Diminutive of
Josephine. It can also be inspired by the English word
posy for a bunch of flowers.
Puanani
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: poo-a-NA-nee
Rating: 29% based on 7 votes
Means "beautiful flower" or "beautiful offspring" from Hawaiian pua "flower, offspring" and nani "beauty, glory".
Quintilia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Dutch (Rare), Italian (Rare), Spanish (Latin American, Rare)
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
Reagan
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: RAY-gən
Rating: 33% based on 6 votes
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.
Ricarda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: ree-KAR-da(German) ree-KAR-dha(Spanish)
Rating: 27% based on 6 votes
German, Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of
Richard.
Rima
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic, Indonesian
Other Scripts: ريما(Arabic)
Pronounced: REE-ma
Rating: 18% based on 6 votes
Rocío
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: ro-THEE-o(European Spanish) ro-SEE-o(Latin American Spanish)
Rating: 33% based on 7 votes
Means
"dew" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary María del Rocío meaning "Mary of the Dew".
Rohesia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English (Latinized)
Rating: 23% based on 6 votes
Latinized form of the medieval name
Rohese (see
Rose).
Romy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, French, English
Pronounced: RO-mee(German, Dutch, English)
Rating: 35% based on 8 votes
Ronit 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: רוֹנִית(Hebrew)
Rating: 31% based on 7 votes
Strictly feminine form of
Ron 2.
Rosa 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Dutch, German, English
Pronounced: RO-sa(Spanish, Dutch) RAW-za(Italian) RAW-zu(European Portuguese) HAW-zu(Brazilian Portuguese) RAW-zə(Catalan) RO-za(German) RO-zə(English)
Rating: 45% based on 8 votes
Generally this can be considered to be from Latin
rosa meaning
"rose", though originally it may have come from the unrelated Germanic name
Roza 2. This was the name of a 13th-century
saint from Viterbo in Italy. In the English-speaking world it was first used in the 19th century. Famous bearers include the Polish-German revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919) and the American civil rights activist Rosa Parks (1913-2005).
Rosalba
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
Italian name meaning
"white rose", derived from Latin
rosa "rose" and
alba "white". A famous bearer was the Venetian painter Rosalba Carriera (1675-1757).
Rosália
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese
Pronounced: roo-ZA-lyu(European Portuguese) ho-ZA-lyu(Brazilian Portuguese)
Rating: 40% based on 6 votes
Rosalie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, German, Dutch, English
Pronounced: RAW-ZA-LEE(French) ro-za-LEE(German, Dutch) RO-sa-lee(Dutch) ro-sa-LEE(Dutch) RO-za-lee(Dutch) RO-zə-lee(English)
Rating: 50% based on 11 votes
French, German and Dutch form of
Rosalia. In the English-speaking this name received a boost after the release of the movie
Rosalie (1938), which was based on an earlier musical.
Rosalind
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RAHZ-ə-lind
Rating: 58% based on 10 votes
Derived from the Old German elements
hros meaning "horse" and
lind meaning "soft, flexible, tender". The
Normans introduced this name to England, though it was not common. During the Middle Ages its spelling was influenced by the Latin phrase
rosa linda "beautiful rose". The name was popularized by Edmund Spencer, who used it in his poetry, and by William Shakespeare, who used it for the heroine in his comedy
As You Like It (1599).
Rosalyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RO-zə-lin, RAHZ-ə-lin
Rating: 34% based on 5 votes
Variant of
Rosaline. It can also be considered an elaboration of
Rose with the common name suffix
lyn.
Rosanna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, English
Pronounced: ro-ZAN-na(Italian) ro-ZAN-ə(English)
Rating: 27% based on 7 votes
Rose
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: ROZ
Rating: 67% based on 9 votes
Originally a Norman French form of the Germanic name
Hrodohaidis meaning
"famous type", composed of the elements
hruod "fame" and
heit "kind, sort, type". The
Normans introduced it to England in the forms
Roese and
Rohese. From an early date it was associated with the word for the fragrant flower
rose (derived from Latin
rosa). When the name was revived in the 19th century, it was probably with the flower in mind.
Roselani
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: ro-seh-LA-nee
Rating: 40% based on 6 votes
Roselyn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RO-zə-lin, RAHZ-ə-lin, ROZ-lin
Rating: 40% based on 5 votes
Rue
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ROO
Rating: 32% based on 6 votes
From the name of the bitter medicinal herb, ultimately deriving from Greek
ῥυτή (rhyte). This is also sometimes used as a short form of
Ruth 1.
Rumi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 留美, 瑠美, 流美, etc.(Japanese Kanji) るみ(Japanese Hiragana) ルミ(Japanese Katakana)
Pronounced: ROO-MYEE
Rating: 32% based on 5 votes
From Japanese 留
(ru) meaning "detain, fasten", 瑠
(ru) meaning "lapis lazuli", or 流
(ru) meaning "current, flow" combined with 美
(mi) meaning "beautiful". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Rumina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bulgarian (Rare)
Other Scripts: Румина(Bulgarian)
Rating: 23% based on 4 votes
Ruth 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Spanish, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: רוּת(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: ROOTH(English) ROOT(German, Spanish)
Rating: 45% based on 10 votes
From the Hebrew name
רוּת (Ruṯ), probably derived from the word
רְעוּת (reʿuṯ) meaning
"female friend". This is the name of the central character in the Book of Ruth in the
Old Testament. She was a Moabite woman who accompanied her mother-in-law
Naomi back to Bethlehem after Ruth's husband died. There she met and married
Boaz. She was an ancestor of King
David.
As a Christian name, Ruth has been in use since the Protestant Reformation. In England it was associated with the archaic word ruth meaning "pity, compassion" (now only commonly seen in the word ruthless). The name became very popular in America following the birth of "Baby" Ruth Cleveland (1891-1904), the daughter of President Grover Cleveland.
Salimata
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Western African
Pronounced: SA-LEE-MA-TA(French)
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Form of
Salima used in parts of western Africa.
Sansa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Rating: 35% based on 8 votes
Invented by the author George R. R. Martin for the character of Sansa Stark in his series A Song of Ice and Fire, published beginning 1996, and the television adaptation Game of Thrones (2011-2019).
Santina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: san-TEE-na
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
Sarah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Hebrew, Arabic, Biblical
Other Scripts: שָׂרָה(Hebrew) سارة(Arabic)
Pronounced: SEHR-ə(English) SAR-ə(English) SA-RA(French) ZA-ra(German) SA-ra(Danish, Dutch, Arabic)
Rating: 54% based on 9 votes
From the Hebrew name
שָׂרָה (Sara) meaning
"lady, princess, noblewoman". In the
Old Testament this is the name of
Abraham's wife, considered the matriarch of the Jewish people. She was barren until she unexpectedly became pregnant with
Isaac at the age of 90. Her name was originally
Sarai, but God changed it at the same time Abraham's name was changed (see
Genesis 17:15).
In England, Sarah came into use after the Protestant Reformation. It was consistently popular in the 20th century throughout the English-speaking world, reaching the top of the charts for England and Wales in the 1970s and 80s.
Notable bearers include Sarah Churchill (1660-1744), an influential British duchess and a close friend of Queen Anne, and the French actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923).
Scarlett
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SKAHR-lit
Rating: 42% based on 9 votes
From an English surname that denoted a person who sold or made clothes made of scarlet (a kind of cloth, possibly derived from Persian
سقرلاط (saqrelāṭ)). Margaret Mitchell used it for the main character, Scarlett O'Hara, in her novel
Gone with the Wind (1936). Her name is explained as having come from her grandmother. Despite the fact that the book was adapted into a popular movie in 1939, the name was not common until the 21st century. It started rising around 2003, about the time that the career of American actress Scarlett Johansson (1984-) started taking off.
Scout
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SKOWT
Rating: 40% based on 6 votes
From the English word scout meaning "one who gathers information covertly", which is derived from Old French escouter "to listen". Harper Lee used this name in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960).
Sidney
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SID-nee
Rating: 40% based on 8 votes
From the English surname
Sidney. It was first used as a given name in honour of executed politician Algernon Sidney (1622-1683). Another notable bearer of the surname was the poet and statesman Philip Sidney (1554-1586).
As a given name, it has traditionally been more masculine than feminine. In America however, after the variant Sydney became popular for girls, Sidney was used more for girls than boys between 1993 and 2019.
Sienna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: see-EHN-ə
Rating: 41% based on 8 votes
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.
Sistina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Rating: 40% based on 4 votes
Skadi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norse Mythology
Rating: 21% based on 9 votes
Sloane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: SLON
Rating: 28% based on 6 votes
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Sluaghadháin, itself derived from the given name
Sluaghadhán.
Sojourner
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: so-JUR-nər, SO-jər-nər
Rating: 10% based on 7 votes
From the English word meaning "one who stays temporarily (sojourns)", which is ultimately derived from the Latin elements sub "under, until" and diurnus "of a day" (from diurnum "day"), via the vulgar Latin subdiurnare "to spend the day". It was borne by the American abolitionist Sojourner Truth (born Isabella Baumfree, 1797-1883), who took the name in 1843, believing this to be the instructions of the Holy Spirit, and became a traveling preacher (the combined meaning of her new name).
Sora
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 空, 昊, etc.(Japanese Kanji) そら(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: SO-RA
Rating: 28% based on 6 votes
From Japanese
空 (sora) or
昊 (sora) both meaning "sky". Other kanji with the same pronunciations can also form this name.
Story
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: STOR-ee
Rating: 30% based on 4 votes
From Middle English storie, storye, from Anglo-Norman estorie, from Late Latin storia meaning "history."
Suvi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: SOO-vee
Rating: 28% based on 4 votes
Means "summer" in Finnish.
Tallulah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: tə-LOO-lə
Rating: 48% based on 8 votes
This is the name of waterfalls in Georgia. Popularly claimed to mean "leaping waters" in the Choctaw language, it may actually mean "town" in the Creek language. It was borne by American actress Tallulah Bankhead (1902-1968), who was named after her grandmother, who may have been named after the waterfalls.
Tamika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: tə-MEE-kə
Rating: 40% based on 8 votes
Variant of
Tamiko, inspired by the American jazz singer Tamiko Jones (1945-) or the American movie
A Girl Named Tamiko (1963).
Teagan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: TEE-gən
Rating: 44% based on 7 votes
Variant of
Tegan. It also coincides with a rare Irish surname
Teagan. This name rose on the American popularity charts in the 1990s, probably because of its similarity to names like
Megan and
Reagan.
Teresa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Catalan, Polish, Lithuanian, Finnish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English
Pronounced: teh-REH-sa(Spanish, Polish) teh-REH-za(Italian, German) tə-REH-zə(Catalan) tyeh-ryeh-SU(Lithuanian) TEH-reh-sah(Finnish) tə-REE-sə(English) tə-REE-zə(English)
Rating: 28% based on 4 votes
Form of
Theresa used in several languages.
Saint Teresa of Ávila was a 16th-century Spanish nun who reformed the Carmelite monasteries and wrote several spiritual books. It was also borne by the Albanian missionary Saint Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997), better known as Mother Teresa, who worked with the poor in India. She adopted the name in honour of the French saint Thérèse of Lisieux, who is the patron of missionaries.
Teslin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Canadian, Rare), English (American, Rare)
Pronounced: TEZ-lin(Canadian English)
Rating: 25% based on 8 votes
From the name of the mountain, plateau, river, and lake in Yukon and British Columbia, Canada. It comes from the Tlingit name for the river, Teslintoo or Teslintuh, meaning "long, deep water."
Tesni
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh
Rating: 37% based on 6 votes
Means "warmth" in Welsh.
Tiba
Gender: Feminine
Usage: East Frisian
Pronounced: TEE-ba
Rating: 18% based on 6 votes
East Frisian short form of names starting with the Germanic name element
þeudō "people" followed by a name element containing the letter
b, e.g.
burg "protection; protected place".
Tida
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese (Modern, Rare)
Other Scripts: 太陽(Japanese Kanji) てぃだ(Japanese Hiragana) ティダ(Japanese Katakana)
Pronounced: TYEE-DA
Rating: 23% based on 6 votes
From 太陽 (tida), the word for "sun" in many Ryukyuan languages, cognate to Japanese 天道 (tendō), referring to the sun or the god of heaven and the earth.
Tikaani
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Inuit (?)
Pronounced: Tee-Kah-Nee(Inuktitut)
Rating: 47% based on 6 votes
Tikva
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: תִּקְוָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 29% based on 7 votes
Means "hope" in Hebrew.
Tilda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Swedish, Finnish
Pronounced: TIL-də(English) TEEL-dah(Finnish)
Rating: 40% based on 7 votes
Tímea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: TEE-meh-aw
Rating: 36% based on 7 votes
Created by the Hungarian author Mór Jókai for a character in his novel
The Golden Man (1873). The name is apparently based on the Greek word
εὐθυμία (euthymia) meaning
"good spirits, cheerfulness".
Timothea
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1], Greek
Other Scripts: Τιμοθέα(Greek)
Rating: 35% based on 6 votes
Tine 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian, Danish
Rating: 26% based on 5 votes
Tippi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Rating: 18% based on 6 votes
Trinidad
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: tree-nee-DHADH
Rating: 15% based on 4 votes
Means "trinity" in Spanish, referring to the Holy Trinity. An island in the West Indies bears this name.
Trudy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Dutch
Pronounced: TROO-dee(English) TRUY-dee(Dutch)
Rating: 27% based on 7 votes
Tula
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Rating: 24% based on 5 votes
Tulipa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese
Pronounced: Too-LEE-pa
Rating: 18% based on 4 votes
From Portuguese tulipa "tulip".
Tuula
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: TOO-lah
Rating: 30% based on 7 votes
Twyla
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TWIE-lə
Rating: 22% based on 6 votes
Vaimiti
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Tahitian
Rating: 14% based on 5 votes
From Tahitian vai "water" and miti "sea, salt".
Vida 3
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian
Other Scripts: ویدا(Persian)
Rating: 14% based on 5 votes
Means "visible" in Persian.
Wilhelmine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German
Pronounced: vil-hehl-MEE-nə
Rating: 33% based on 7 votes
Wilma
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, English, Swedish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: VIL-ma(German, Dutch) WIL-mə(English)
Rating: 22% based on 5 votes
Short form of
Wilhelmina. German settlers introduced it to America in the 19th century.
Winifred
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Welsh
Pronounced: WIN-ə-frid(English)
Rating: 26% based on 7 votes
From Latin
Winifreda, possibly from a Welsh name
Gwenfrewi (maybe influenced by the Old English masculine name
Winfred).
Saint Winifred was a 7th-century Welsh martyr, probably legendary. According to the story, she was decapitated by a prince after she spurned his advances. Where her head fell there arose a healing spring, which has been a pilgrimage site since medieval times. Her story was recorded in the 12th century by Robert of Shrewsbury, and she has been historically more widely venerated in England than in Wales. The name has been used in England since at least the 16th century.
Winnie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WIN-ee
Rating: 30% based on 7 votes
Diminutive of
Winifred. Winnie-the-Pooh, a stuffed bear in children's books by A. A. Milne, was named after a real bear named
Winnipeg who lived at the London Zoo.
Yaheli
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: יהלי(Hebrew)
Pronounced: YAH-lee, yah-HE-lee
Rating: 14% based on 5 votes
Yamila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish (Latin American)
Pronounced: gya-MEE-la
Rating: 12% based on 5 votes
Form of
Jamila used especially in Latin America.
Yemima
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: יְמִימָה(Hebrew)
Rating: 33% based on 7 votes
Yoko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 陽子, 洋子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ようこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: YO-KO
Rating: 39% based on 10 votes
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
陽子 or
洋子 (see
Yōko).
Yusra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Arabic
Other Scripts: يسرى, يسرا(Arabic)
Pronounced: YOOS-ra
Rating: 29% based on 7 votes
Means
"wealth, ease" in Arabic, a derivative of
يسر (yasira) meaning "to be easy, to be rich".
Zazou
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German (Modern, Rare)
Rating: 30% based on 10 votes
Probably a French diminutive of
Isabelle.
The Swiss singer Zazou Mall was a contestant in the casting show "Deutschland sucht den Superstar (DSDS)" in 2011.
Zola 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ZO-lə
Rating: 35% based on 10 votes
Meaning unknown, perhaps an invented name. It has been in occasional use in the English-speaking world since the 19th century. It coincides with an Italian surname, a famous bearer being the French-Italian author Émile Zola (1840-1902).
Zula 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: ZOOL-ə
Rating: 30% based on 6 votes
Meaning unknown. It has been in use since the 19th century. It is possibly related to the name of the African tribe that lives largely in South Africa, the Zulus. In the 19th century the Zulus were a powerful nation under their leader Shaka.
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