CanadianChibi's Personal Name List
Abigaia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: Ἀβιγαία(Ancient Greek)
Adeline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: A-DU-LEEN(French) AD-ə-lien(English)
French and English form of
Adelina.
Agape
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἀγάπη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: A-GA-PEH
Derived from Greek
ἀγάπη (agape) meaning
"love". This name was borne by at least two early
saints.
Ahti
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish, Estonian, Finnish Mythology
Pronounced: AHH-tee(Finnish)
Meaning unknown. This is the name of the Finnish god of the ocean, rivers and fishing.
Aimi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 愛美, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あいみ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-EE-MEE
From Japanese
愛 (ai) meaning "love, affection" and
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other combinations of kanji characters are possible.
Aindréas
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: AN-ryehs
Áine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: A-nyə(Irish)
Means
"radiance, brilliance" in Irish. This was the name of a goddess of love and fertility in Irish legend, thought to dwell at the hill of Cnoc Áine in Limerick. It has sometimes been Anglicized as
Anne.
Aki 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 晶, 明, 秋, 亜希, 亜樹, 亜紀, etc.(Japanese Kanji) あき(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: A-KYEE
From Japanese
晶 (aki) meaning "clear, crystal",
明 (aki) meaning "bright, light, clear" or
秋 (aki) meaning "autumn". It can also come from
亜 (a) meaning "second, Asia" combined with
希 (ki) meaning "hope". Other kanji or combinations of kanji can form this name too.
Alannah
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English (Modern)
Pronounced: ə-LAN-ə(English)
Variant of
Alana. It has been influenced by the affectionate Anglo-Irish word
alannah, from the Irish Gaelic phrase
a leanbh meaning "O child".
Alcippe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Ἀλκίππη(Ancient Greek)
From Greek
Ἀλκίππη (Alkippe), derived from
ἀλκή (alke) meaning "strength, prowess" and
ἵππος (hippos) meaning "horse". This was the name of a daughter of
Ares in Greek
myth. Her father killed Halirrhotis, a son of
Poseidon, when he attempted to rape her, leading to a murder trial in which Ares was quickly acquitted.
Aleksander
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish, Slovene, Estonian, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: a-lehk-SAN-dehr(Polish)
Aleksandra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Serbian, Bulgarian, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Georgian
Other Scripts: Александра(Russian, Ukrainian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian) ალექსანდრა(Georgian)
Pronounced: u-lyik-SAN-drə(Russian) a-lehk-SAN-dra(Polish) u-lyehk-SAN-dru(Lithuanian)
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)
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".
Ambrosia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἀμβροσία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AM-BRO-SEE-A
Feminine form of
Ambrosios (see
Ambrose).
Anabela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese
Andoni
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: AN-do-nee, an-DO-nee
Basque form of
Antonius (see
Anthony).
Andromeda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἀνδρομέδα, Ἀνδρομέδη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: AN-DRO-MEH-DA(Classical Greek) an-DRAH-mi-də(American English) an-DRAW-mi-də(British English)
Derived from Greek
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός) combined with one of the related words
μέδομαι (medomai) meaning "to be mindful of, to provide for, to think on" or
μέδω (medo) meaning "to protect, to rule over". In Greek
mythology Andromeda was an Ethiopian princess rescued from sacrifice by the hero
Perseus. A constellation in the northern sky is named for her. This is also the name of a nearby galaxy, given because it resides (from our point of view) within the constellation.
Annie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Dutch
Pronounced: AN-ee(English) A-NEE(French) AH-nee(Dutch)
Antonina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Ancient Roman
Other Scripts: Антонина(Russian, Bulgarian) Антоніна(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: an-to-NEE-na(Italian) an-taw-NYEE-na(Polish) un-tu-NYEE-nə(Russian) un-to-NYEE-nu(Ukrainian)
Apolena
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Pronounced: A-po-leh-na(Czech)
Ariana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Portuguese, English (Modern)
Pronounced: ar-ee-AN-ə(English) ar-ee-AHN-ə(English)
Portuguese form of
Ariadne. This name steadily grew in popularity in America in the last few decades of the 20th century. A famous bearer is the American pop singer Ariana Grande (1993-).
Armand
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Catalan
Pronounced: AR-MAHN(French) ər-MAN(Catalan)
French and Catalan form of
Herman.
Aron
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Polish, Croatian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic
Pronounced: A-rawn(Polish, Icelandic) A-ron(Croatian) AH-rawn(Swedish)
Polish, Croatian and Scandinavian form of
Aaron.
Artemisia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ἀρτεμισία(Ancient Greek)
Feminine form of
Artemisios. This was the name of the 4th-century BC builder of the Mausoleum, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. She built it in memory of her husband, the Carian prince Mausolus.
Asim 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Urdu
Other Scripts: عاصم(Arabic, Urdu)
Pronounced: ‘A-seem(Arabic)
Means
"protector" in Arabic, from the root
عصم (ʿaṣama) meaning "to protect".
Astrid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, French, English
Pronounced: AS-strid(Swedish) AHS-tri(Norwegian) AS-trit(German) AS-TREED(French) AS-trid(English)
Modern Scandinavian form of
Ástríðr. This name was borne by the Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002), the author of
Pippi Longstocking. It was also borne by a Swedish princess (1905-1935) who became the queen of Belgium as the wife of Leopold III.
Augusta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Portuguese, English, German, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: ow-GOOS-ta(Italian) ə-GUS-tə(English) ow-GUWS-ta(German)
Feminine form of
Augustus. It was introduced to Britain when King George III, a member of the German House of Hanover, gave this name to his second daughter in 1768.
Aura
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Finnish
Pronounced: AWR-ə(English) OW-ra(Italian, Spanish) OW-rah(Finnish)
From the word
aura (derived from Latin, ultimately from Greek
αὔρα meaning "breeze") for a distinctive atmosphere or illumination.
Aurelia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Romanian, Italian, Spanish, Polish
Pronounced: ow-REH-lee-a(Latin) ow-REH-lya(Italian, Spanish, Polish)
Autumn
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AW-təm
From the name of the season, ultimately from Latin autumnus. This name has been in general use since the 1960s.
Avani
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi
Other Scripts: अवनी(Marathi, Hindi) અવની(Gujarati)
Avigail
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew
Other Scripts: אֲבִיגַיִל(Hebrew)
Axelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: A-KSEHL
Ayla 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish, Azerbaijani
Means "moonlight, halo" in Turkish.
Belle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BEHL
Short form of
Isabella or names ending in
belle. It is also associated with the French word
belle meaning "beautiful". A famous bearer was Belle Starr (1848-1889), an outlaw of the American west, whose real given name was Maybelle.
Bethany
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BETH-ə-nee
From the name of a biblical town,
Βηθανία (Bethania) in Greek, which is probably of Aramaic or Hebrew origin, possibly meaning "house of affliction" or "house of figs". In the
New Testament the town of Bethany is the home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. It has been in use as a rare given name in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, in honour of Mary of Bethany. In America it became moderately common after the 1950s.
Biddy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: BID-ee(English)
Blandine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: BLAHN-DEEN
French form of the Roman name
Blandina, which was the feminine form of
Blandinus, which was itself a derivative of the
cognomen Blandus.
Saint Blandina was a 2nd-century slave from Lyons who was martyred by being thrown to wild beasts.
Blossom
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BLAHS-əm(American English) BLAWS-əm(British English)
From the English word blossom, ultimately from Old English blóstm. It came into use as a rare given name in the 19th century.
Bonita
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: bə-NEE-tə
Means "pretty" in Spanish, ultimately from Latin bonus "good". It has been used as a name in the English-speaking world since the beginning of the 20th century.
Bonnie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BAHN-ee(American English) BAWN-ee(British English)
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.
Brendan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English, Breton
Pronounced: BREHN-dən(English) BREHN-dahn(Breton)
From
Brendanus, the Latinized form of the Old Irish name
Bréanainn, which was derived from Old Welsh
breenhin meaning
"king, prince".
Saint Brendan was a 6th-century Irish abbot who, according to legend, crossed the Atlantic and reached North America with 17 other monks.
Brennan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BREHN-ən
From an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic
Ó Braonáin) that was derived from the byname
Braonán, itself from Irish
braon meaning "rain, moisture, drop" combined with a
diminutive suffix. As a given name, it has been used since the 1960s as an alternative to
Brendan or
Brandon, though it has not been as popular as them.
Bridgette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: BRIJ-it
Burak
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Pronounced: boo-RAK
From Arabic
براق (Burāq), the name of the legendary creature that, according to Islamic tradition, transported the Prophet
Muhammad. Its name is derived from Arabic
برق (barq) meaning "lightning"
[1].
Caitria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Candelaria
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: kan-deh-LA-rya
Means
"Candlemas" in Spanish, ultimately derived from Spanish
candela "candle". This name is given in honour of the church festival of Candlemas, which commemorates the presentation of Christ in the temple and the purification of the Virgin
Mary.
Carina 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Late Roman
Pronounced: kə-REE-nə(English) ka-REE-na(Spanish, German)
Late Latin name derived from
cara meaning
"dear, beloved". This was the name of a 4th-century
saint and martyr. It is also the name of a constellation in the southern sky, though in this case it means "keel" in Latin, referring to a part of
Jason's ship the Argo.
Cecilia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, Romanian, Finnish
Pronounced: seh-SEE-lee-ə(English) seh-SEEL-yə(English) cheh-CHEE-lya(Italian) theh-THEE-lya(European Spanish) seh-SEE-lya(Latin American Spanish) seh-SEEL-yah(Danish, Norwegian) sə-SEE-lee-a(Dutch)
Latinate feminine form of the Roman family name
Caecilius, which was derived from Latin
caecus meaning
"blind".
Saint Cecilia was a semi-legendary 2nd or 3rd-century martyr who was sentenced to die because she refused to worship the Roman gods. After attempts to suffocate her failed, she was beheaded. She was later regarded as the patron saint of music and musicians.
Due to the popularity of the saint, the name became common in the Christian world during the Middle Ages. The Normans brought it to England, where it was commonly spelled Cecily — the Latinate form Cecilia came into use in the 18th century.
Cedric
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SEHD-rik
Invented by Walter Scott for a character in his novel
Ivanhoe (1819). Apparently he based it on the actual name
Cerdic, the name of the semi-legendary founder of the kingdom of Wessex in the 6th century. The meaning of
Cerdic is uncertain, but it does not appear to be Old English in origin. It could be connected to the Brythonic name
Caratācos. The name was also used by Frances Hodgson Burnett for the main character in her novel
Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886).
Channing
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: CHAN-ing
From an English surname of uncertain origin.
Christ
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Theology
Pronounced: KRIEST(English)
Ciarán
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Old Irish [1]
Pronounced: KYEEY-ran(Irish)
Diminutive of
Ciar. This was the name of two 6th-century Irish
saints: Ciarán the Elder, the founder of the monastery at Saighir, and Ciarán the Younger, the founder of the monastery at Clonmacnoise.
Claude
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: KLOD(French) KLAWD(English)
French masculine and feminine form of
Claudius. In France the masculine name has been common since the Middle Ages due to the 7th-century
Saint Claude of Besançon. It was imported to Britain in the 16th century by the aristocratic Hamilton family, who had French connections. A famous bearer of this name was the French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926).
Clement
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLEHM-ənt
English form of the Late Latin name
Clemens (or sometimes of its derivative
Clementius), which meant
"merciful, gentle". This was the name of 14 popes, including
Saint Clement I, the third pope, one of the Apostolic Fathers. Another saint by this name was Clement of Alexandria, a 3rd-century theologian and church father who attempted to reconcile Christian and Platonic philosophies. It has been in general as a given name in Christian Europe (in various spellings) since early times. In England it became rare after the
Protestant Reformation, though it was revived in the 19th century.
Conchobhar
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish Mythology
Pronounced: KUWN-khə-war(Irish)
Conn
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology, Old Irish [1]
Perhaps from Old Irish
conn meaning
"sense, reason" or
cenn meaning
"head, chief". This was the name of a legendary high king of Ireland, Conn of the Hundred Battles.
Conner
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAHN-ər(American English) KAWN-ə(British English)
Connor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAHN-ər(American English) KAWN-ə(British English)
Variant of
Conor, based on the usual spelling of the surname that is derived from the name. This is currently the most common way of spelling it in the English-speaking world, apart from Ireland.
Conor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: KAHN-ər(American English) KAWN-ə(British English)
Conrad
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: KAHN-rad(American English) KAWN-rad(British English) KAWN-rat(German)
Means
"brave counsel", derived from the Old German elements
kuoni "brave" and
rat "counsel, advice". This was the name of a 10th-century
saint and bishop of Konstanz, in southern Germany. It was also borne by several medieval German kings and dukes, notably Conrad II, the first of the Holy Roman Emperors from the Salic dynasty. In England it was occasionally used during the Middle Ages, but has only been common since the 19th century when it was reintroduced from Germany.
Constance
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French
Pronounced: KAHN-stəns(American English) KAWN-stəns(British English) KAWNS-TAHNS(French)
Medieval form of
Constantia. The
Normans introduced this name to England (it was the name of a daughter of William the Conqueror).
Cora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Other Scripts: Κόρη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: KAWR-ə(English) KO-ra(German)
Latinized form of
Kore. It was not used as a given name in the English-speaking world until after it was employed by James Fenimore Cooper for a character in his novel
The Last of the Mohicans (1826). In some cases it may be a short form of
Cordula,
Corinna and other names beginning with a similar sound.
Corbin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAWR-bin(American English) KAW-bin(British English)
From a French surname that was derived from
corbeau "raven", originally denoting a person who had dark hair. The name was probably popularized in America by actor Corbin Bernsen (1954-)
[1].
Cornelius
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, English, Dutch, German, Biblical
Pronounced: kor-NEH-lee-oos(Latin) kawr-NEEL-ee-əs(American English) kaw-NEE-lyəs(British English) kawr-NEH-lee-yuys(Dutch) kawr-NEH-lee-uws(German)
Roman family name that possibly derives from the Latin element
cornu meaning
"horn". In Acts in the
New Testament Cornelius is a centurion who is directed by an angel to seek
Peter. After speaking with Peter he converts to Christianity, and he is traditionally deemed the first gentile convert. The name was also borne by a few early
saints, including a 3rd-century pope. In England it came into use in the 16th century, partly due to Dutch influence.
Dagmar
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, German, Czech, Slovak
Pronounced: DOW-mar(Danish) DAK-mar(German) DAG-mar(Czech)
From the Old Norse name
Dagmær, derived from the elements
dagr "day" and
mær "maid". This was the name adopted by the popular Bohemian wife of the Danish king Valdemar II when they married in 1205. Her birth name was
Markéta.
Daisuke
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 大輔, etc.(Japanese Kanji) だいすけ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: DA-EE-SOO-KEH, DA-EE-SKEH
From Japanese
大 (dai) meaning "big, great" and
輔 (suke) meaning "help". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Damon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology, English
Other Scripts: Δάμων(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DAY-mən(English)
Derived from Greek
δαμάζω (damazo) meaning
"to tame". According to Greek legend, Damon and Pythias were friends who lived on Syracuse in the 4th century BC. When Pythias was sentenced to death, he was allowed to temporarily go free on the condition that Damon take his place in prison. Pythias returned just before Damon was to be executed in his place, and the king was so impressed with their loyalty to one another that he pardoned Pythias. As an English given name, it has only been regularly used since the 20th century.
Daniel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Croatian, Finnish, Estonian, Armenian, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: דָּנִיֵּאל(Hebrew) Даниел(Bulgarian, Macedonian) Դանիէլ(Armenian) დანიელ(Georgian) Δανιήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DAN-yəl(English) DA-NYEHL(French) DA-nyehl(German) DA-nee-ehl(German, Slovak) DAH-ni-yəl(Norwegian) DA-nyəl(Danish) DA-nyehl(Polish) DA-ni-yehl(Czech) da-NYEHL(Spanish) du-nee-EHL(European Portuguese) du-nee-EW(Brazilian Portuguese) də-nee-EHL(Catalan) da-nee-EHL(Romanian)
From the Hebrew name
דָּנִיֵּאל (Daniyyel) meaning
"God is my judge", from the roots
דִּין (din) meaning "to judge" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Daniel was a Hebrew prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel in the
Old Testament. He lived during the Jewish captivity in Babylon, where he served in the court of the king, rising to prominence by interpreting the king's dreams. The book also presents Daniel's four visions of the end of the world.
Due to the popularity of the biblical character, the name came into use in England during the Middle Ages. Though it became rare by the 15th century, it was revived after the Protestant Reformation. Famous bearers of this name include English author Daniel Defoe (1660-1731), Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782), and American frontiersman Daniel Boone (1734-1820).
Dardan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Albanian
From the name of the Dardani, an Illyrian tribe who lived on the Balkan Peninsula. Their name may derive from an Illyrian word meaning "pear". They were unrelated to the ancient people who were also called the Dardans who lived near Troy.
Dardana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Pronounced: dahr-DAHN-ah
Delaney
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: di-LAYN-ee
Delphine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: DEHL-FEEN
Denisa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Albanian
Pronounced: DEH-ni-sa(Czech) DEH-nee-sa(Slovak) deh-NEE-sa(Romanian)
Devnet
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: DEHV-nət(English)
Devrim
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Pronounced: dehv-REEM
Means "revolution" in Turkish.
Dina 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Latvian, Russian, Ukrainian, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew [1], Biblical Greek, Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: Дина(Russian) Діна(Ukrainian) דִּינָה(Hebrew) Δίνα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: DYEE-nə(Russian) DEE-nah(Dutch) DEE-na(Italian, Spanish)
Form of
Dinah in several languages, as well as the form in the Hebrew, Greek and Latin
Old Testament.
Dolores
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, English
Pronounced: do-LO-rehs(Spanish) də-LAWR-is(English)
Means
"sorrows", taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, meaning "Our Lady of Sorrows". It has been used in the English-speaking world since the 19th century, becoming especially popular in America during the 1920s and 30s.
Dorota
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish, Czech, Slovak
Pronounced: daw-RAW-ta(Polish) DO-ro-ta(Czech) DAW-raw-ta(Slovak)
Polish, Czech and Slovak form of
Dorothea.
Drahomíra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech, Slovak
Pronounced: DRA-ho-mee-ra(Czech) DRA-haw-mee-ra(Slovak)
Czech and Slovak feminine form of
Dragomir.
Duncan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: DUNG-kən(English)
Anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic name
Donnchadh, derived from Old Irish
donn "brown" and
cath "battle". This was the name of two kings of Scotland, including the one who was featured in Shakespeare's play
Macbeth (1606).
Eduard
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Catalan, Dutch, Estonian, Romanian, Georgian, Armenian
Other Scripts: Эдуард(Russian, Belarusian) Едуард(Ukrainian) ედუარდ(Georgian) Էդուարդ(Armenian)
Pronounced: EH-dwart(German) i-duw-ART(Russian) eh-doo-AHRD(Ukrainian) EH-doo-art(Czech) EH-doo-ard(Slovak) ə-doo-ART(Catalan) EH-duy-ahrt(Dutch)
Form of
Edward in various languages.
Éireann
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish (Rare)
Pronounced: EH-ryən
From
Éireann, the genitive case of Irish Gaelic
Éire, meaning "Ireland". It is commonly Anglicized as
Erin.
Elle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: EHL
Diminutive of
Eleanor and other names beginning with
El. This name can also be given in reference to the French pronoun
elle meaning "she".
Already growing in popularity due to Australian model Elle Macpherson (1964-), this name received a boost in the United States after the release of the 2001 movie Legally Blonde featuring the main character Elle Woods. In the United Kingdom the name was already fairly common at the time the movie came out, and it actually started declining there shortly afterwards. A famous bearer is American actress Elle Fanning (1998-).
Ellen 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Estonian
Pronounced: EHL-ən(English) EHL-lehn(Finnish)
Medieval English form of
Helen. This was the usual spelling of the name until the 19th century, when the form
Helen also became common.
Ellinor
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Emilian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Romanian, Polish
Pronounced: eh-MEE-lyan(Polish)
Romanian and Polish form of
Aemilianus (see
Emiliano).
Emilie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Czech
Pronounced: eh-MEE-lyə(German) eh-MEE-lee-eh(Norwegian) EHM-i-lee(Swedish)
German, Scandinavian and Czech feminine form of
Aemilius (see
Emily).
Emily
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EHM-ə-lee
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).
Emmy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Swedish, Dutch, German
Pronounced: EHM-ee(English) EH-mee(Dutch)
Era
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Derived from Albanian erë meaning "wind".
Ester
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Italian, Czech, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Hebrew
Other Scripts: אֶסְתֵר(Hebrew)
Pronounced: ehs-TEHR(Spanish) əs-TEHR(Catalan) EHS-tehr(Czech, Finnish)
Form of
Esther used in several languages.
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(American English, Dutch) EHS-tə(British English) EHS-TEHR(French) ehs-TEHR(Spanish) EHS-tu(German)
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].
Evander 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Latinized), Roman Mythology
Other Scripts: Εὔανδρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: i-VAN-dər(American English) i-VAN-də(British English)
Variant of
Evandrus, the Latin form of the Greek name
Εὔανδρος (Euandros) meaning
"good of man", derived from
εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and
ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive
ἀνδρός). In Roman
mythology Evander was an Arcadian hero of the Trojan War who founded the city of Pallantium near the spot where Rome was later built.
Evren
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Turkish
Pronounced: ehv-REHN
Means
"cosmos, the universe" in Turkish. In Turkic
mythology the Evren is a gigantic snake-like dragon.
Ezra
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hebrew, Biblical
Other Scripts: עֶזְרָא(Hebrew)
Pronounced: EHZ-rə(English)
Means
"help" in Hebrew. Ezra is a prophet of the
Old Testament and the author of the Book of Ezra. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the
Protestant Reformation. The American poet Ezra Pound (1885-1972) was a famous bearer.
Ezras
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical Latin
Faith
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FAYTH
Simply from the English word
faith, ultimately from Latin
fidere "to trust". This was one of the virtue names adopted by the
Puritans in the 17th century.
Faust
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: FOWST(German)
From a German surname that was derived from the Latin name
Faustus. This is the name of a character in German legends about a man who makes a pact with the devil, via his representative
Mephistopheles. He is believed to be based on the character of Dr. Johann Faust (1480-1540). His story was adapted by writers such as Christopher Marlowe and Goethe.
Fausta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: FOW-sta(Italian)
Faustina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: fow-STEE-na(Italian) fows-TEE-na(Spanish)
Feminine form of
Faustinus (see
Faustino).
Faustine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
French feminine form of
Faustinus (see
Faustino).
Fay
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: FAY
In part from the English word
fay meaning
"fairy", derived from Middle English
faie meaning "magical, enchanted", ultimately (via Old French) from Latin
fata meaning "the Fates". It appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's chronicles in the name of
Morgan le Fay. In some cases it may be used as a short form of
Faith. It has been used as a feminine given name since the 19th century.
As a rarer (but older) masculine name it is probably derived from a surname: see Fay 1 or Fay 2.
Finnegan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: FIN-ə-gən
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of
Ó Fionnagáin, itself derived from the given name
Fionnagán, a
diminutive of
Fionn. This is the surname of a relatively minor character in James Joyce's novel
Finnegans Wake (1939), the title of which was based on a 19th-century Irish ballad called
Finnegan's Wake.
Fredrika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Finnish
Pronounced: frehd-REE-ka(Swedish) FREHD-ree-kah(Finnish)
Swedish and Finnish feminine form of
Frederick.
Frodo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: FRO-do(English)
Derived from Old English froda meaning "wise". This is the name of the hobbit hero in The Lord of the Rings (1954) by J. R. R. Tolkien, who used Old English to translate some hobbit names (Frodo's true hobbit-language name is Maura). In the novel Frodo Baggins is the bearer of the One Ring on the quest to destroy it in Mount Doom.
Fruzsina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: FROO-zhee-naw
Gabriel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Catalan, English, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: გაბრიელ(Georgian) גַּבְרִיאֵל(Ancient Hebrew) Γαβριήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: GA-BREE-YEHL(French) ga-BRYEHL(Spanish) ga-bree-EHL(European Portuguese, Romanian) ga-bree-EW(Brazilian Portuguese) GA-bree-ehl(German, Slovak, Latin) GAH-bri-ehl(Swedish) GAH-bree-ehl(Finnish) gə-bree-EHL(Catalan) GAY-bree-əl(English) GAB-ryehl(Polish) GA-bri-yehl(Czech)
From the Hebrew name
גַבְרִיאֵל (Ḡavriʾel) meaning
"God is my strong man", derived from
גֶּבֶר (gever) meaning "strong man, hero" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Gabriel is an archangel in Hebrew tradition, often appearing as a messenger of God. In the
Old Testament he is sent to interpret the visions of the prophet
Daniel, while in the
New Testament he serves as the announcer of the births of
John to
Zechariah and
Jesus to
Mary. According to Islamic tradition he was the angel who dictated the
Quran to
Muhammad.
This name has been used occasionally in England since the 12th century. It was not common in the English-speaking world until the end of the 20th century.
Ganesha
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hinduism
Other Scripts: गणेश(Sanskrit)
Pronounced: gu-NEH-shu(Sanskrit) gə-NAY-shə(English)
Means
"lord of hordes" from Sanskrit
गण (gaṇa) meaning "horde, multitude" and
ईश (īśa) meaning "lord, ruler". This is the name of the Hindu god of wisdom and good luck, the son of
Shiva and
Parvati. He is often depicted as a stout man with the head of an elephant.
Garrett
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: GAR-it, GEHR-it
From an English surname that was derived from the given name
Gerald or
Gerard. A famous bearer of the surname was Pat Garrett (1850-1908), the sheriff who shot Billy the Kid.
Ginevra
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian
Pronounced: jee-NEH-vra
Italian form of
Guinevere. This is also the Italian name for the city of Geneva, Switzerland. It is also sometimes associated with the Italian word
ginepro meaning "juniper".
Ginny
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JIN-ee
Gordon
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Scottish, English
Pronounced: GAWR-dən(American English) GAW-dən(British English)
From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from a place in Berwickshire, itself derived from Brythonic elements meaning
"spacious fort". It was originally used in honour of Charles George Gordon (1833-1885), a British general who died defending the city of Khartoum in Sudan.
This was a fairly popular name throughout the English-speaking world during the 20th century, especially in Scotland and Canada. It peaked in both the United Kingdom and United States in the 1930s and has since disappeared from most of the popularity charts.
Gregor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Scottish, Slovak, Slovene
Pronounced: GREH-go(German) GREH-gawr(Slovak)
German, Scottish, Slovak and Slovene form of
Gregorius (see
Gregory). A famous bearer was Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), a Czech monk and scientist who did experiments in genetics.
Gwen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: GWEHN
From Welsh
gwen, the feminine form of
gwyn meaning "white, blessed". It can also be a short form of
Gwendolen,
Gwenllian and other names beginning with
Gwen.
Gwendoline
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English (British), French
Pronounced: GWEHN-də-lin(British English) GWEHN-DAW-LEEN(French)
Gwyneth
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English
Pronounced: GWIN-eth(Welsh) GWIN-ith(English)
Probably a variant of
Gwynedd. It has been common in Wales since the 19th century, perhaps after the Welsh novelist Gwyneth Vaughan (1852-1910), whose real name was Ann Harriet Hughes. A modern famous bearer is the American actress Gwyneth Paltrow (1972-).
Hades
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Ἅιδης, ᾍδης(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: HAY-deez(English)
From Greek
Ἅιδης (Haides), derived from
ἀϊδής (aides) meaning
"unseen". In Greek
mythology Hades was the dark god of the underworld, a place that also came to be called Hades. His brothers were
Zeus and
Poseidon and his wife was
Persephone, whom he had abducted.
Harun
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic, Turkish, Bosnian, Indonesian, Malay, Bengali
Other Scripts: هارون(Arabic) হারুন(Bengali)
Pronounced: ha-ROON(Arabic, Turkish) HA-ruwn(Indonesian, Malay)
Arabic form of
Aaron. Harun ar-Rashid was a 9th-century Abbasid caliph featured in the stories of
The 1001 Nights.
Hayden
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAY-dən
From an English surname that was derived from place names meaning either
"hay valley" or
"hay hill", derived from Old English
heg "hay" and
denu "valley" or
dun "hill". Its popularity at the end of the 20th century was due to the sound it shared with other trendy names of the time, such as
Braden and
Aidan.
Heather
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HEDH-ər(American English) HEDH-ə(British English)
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.
Heidi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, English
Pronounced: HIE-dee(German, English) HAY-dee(Finnish)
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)
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.
Hibiki
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 響(Japanese Kanji) ひびき(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KHEE-BEE-KYEE
From Japanese
響 (hibiki) meaning "sound, echo".
Hirune
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: ee-ROO-neh
Hodei
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: o-DHAY
Means "cloud" in Basque.
Hollie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAHL-ee(American English) HAWL-ee(British English)
Holly
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: HAHL-ee(American English) HAWL-ee(British English)
From the English word for the holly tree, ultimately derived from Old English holen. Holly Golightly is the main character in the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) by Truman Capote.
Hoshiko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 星子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ほしこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: HO-SHEE-KO, HO-SHKO
From Japanese
星 (hoshi) meaning "star" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
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)
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.
Igor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Slovak, Czech, Italian, Portuguese, Basque
Other Scripts: Игорь(Russian) Игор(Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: EE-gər(Russian) EE-gawr(Polish, Slovak) EE-gor(Croatian, Serbian, Italian) I-gor(Czech) ee-GHOR(Basque)
Russian form of the Old Norse name
Yngvarr (see
Ingvar). The Varangians brought it with them when they began settling in Eastern Europe in the 9th century. It was borne by two grand princes of Kyiv, notably Igor I the son of
Rurik and the husband of
Saint Olga. Other famous bearers include Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), a Russian composer known for
The Rite of Spring, and Igor Sikorsky (1889-1972), the Russian-American designer of the first successful helicopter.
Ilari
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: EE-lah-ree
Ilina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bulgarian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Илина(Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Imani
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Swahili, African American
Means
"faith" in Swahili, ultimately from Arabic
إيمان (ʾīmān).
Ingrid
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, German, Dutch
Pronounced: ING-rid(Swedish) ING-ri(Norwegian) ING-grit(German) ING-greet(German) ING-ghrit(Dutch)
From the Old Norse name
Ingríðr meaning
"Ing is beautiful", derived from the name of the Germanic god
Ing combined with
fríðr "beautiful, beloved". A famous bearer was the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982).
Isabelle
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English, German, Dutch, Swedish
Pronounced: EE-ZA-BEHL(French) IZ-ə-behl(English) ee-za-BEH-lə(German, Dutch)
Ishtar
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Semitic Mythology
Other Scripts: 𒀭𒈹, 𒌋𒁯(Akkadian Cuneiform)
Pronounced: ISH-tahr(American English) ISH-tah(British English)
From the Semitic root
ʿṯtr, which possibly relates to the Evening Star. Ishtar was an Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian goddess who presided over love, war and fertility. She was
cognate with the Canaanite and Phoenician
Ashtoreth, and she was also identified with the Sumerian goddess
Inanna. Her name in Akkadian cuneiform
𒀭𒈹 was the same as the Sumerian cuneiform for Inanna.
Ivana
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech, Slovak, Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Italian
Other Scripts: Ивана(Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: I-va-na(Czech) EE-va-na(Slovak) ee-VA-na(Italian)
Ivona
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Ивона(Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: I-vo-na(Czech)
Form of
Yvonne in several languages.
Jacinta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: kha-THEEN-ta(European Spanish) kha-SEEN-ta(Latin American Spanish)
Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of
Hyacinthus.
Jack
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: JAK
Derived from
Jackin (earlier
Jankin), a medieval
diminutive of
John [1]. There could be some early influence from the unrelated French name
Jacques [2]. It is often regarded as an independent name. During the Middle Ages it was very common, and it became a slang word meaning "man", as seen in the terms
jack-o'-lantern,
jack-in-the-box,
lumberjack and so on. It was frequently used in fairy tales and nursery rhymes, such as
Jack and the Beanstalk,
Jack and Jill,
Little Jack Horner, and
Jack Sprat.
American writers Jack London (1876-1916) and Jack Kerouac (1922-1969) were two famous bearers of this name. It is also borne by the actor Jack Nicholson (1937-) and the golfer Jack Nicklaus (1940-). Apart from Nicklaus, none of these famous bearers were given the name Jack at birth.
In the United Kingdom this form has been bestowed more frequently than John since the 1990s, being the most popular name for boys from 1996 to 2008.
Jasper
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Dutch, Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Pronounced: JAS-pər(American English) JAS-pə(British English) YAHS-pər(Dutch)
From Latin
Gaspar, perhaps from the Biblical Hebrew word
גִּזְבָּר (gizbar) meaning
"treasurer" [1], derived from Old Persian
ganzabarah. This name was traditionally assigned to one of the wise men (also known as the Magi, or three kings) who were said to have visited the newborn
Jesus. It has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world since the Middle Ages. The name can also be given in reference to the English word for the gemstone.
Jiřina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech
Pronounced: YI-ri-na
Josef
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Czech, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: YO-zehf(German, Czech)
German, Czech and Scandinavian form of
Joseph.
Jozefina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian
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)
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-).
Julianna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian, Polish, English
Pronounced: YOO-lee-awn-naw(Hungarian) yoo-LYAN-na(Polish) joo-lee-AN-ə(English) joo-lee-AHN-ə(English)
Feminine form of
Iulianus (see
Julian). It can also be considered a combination of
Julia and
Anna.
Julien
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHUY-LYEHN
French form of
Iulianus (see
Julian).
Juliette
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: ZHUY-LYEHT
Juniper
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: JOON-i-pər(American English) JOON-i-pə(British English)
From the English word for the type of tree, derived ultimately from Latin iuniperus.
Justine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: ZHUYS-TEEN(French) jus-TEEN(English)
French form of
Iustina (see
Justina). This is the name of the heroine in the novel
Justine (1791) by the Marquis de Sade.
Kade
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAYD
Kader 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish
Pronounced: ka-DEHR
Means "fate, destiny" in Turkish.
Kalani
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: ka-LA-nee
Means "the heavens" from Hawaiian ka "the" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
Kara 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAHR-ə, KAR-ə, KEHR-ə
Kasper
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish
Pronounced: KAHS-pər(Dutch) KAS-bu(Danish) KAHS-pehr(Swedish)
Dutch and Scandinavian form of
Jasper.
Katarin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Breton
Katell
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Breton
Kaye
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: KAY
Kaylin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: KAY-lin
Kayode
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Yoruba
Means "bringing joy" in Yoruba.
Keelin
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish
Pronounced: KEE-lin(English)
Kenna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Scottish
Kerensa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Cornish
Means "love" in Cornish.
Kimiko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 貴美子, 君子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) きみこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: KYEE-MEE-KO
From Japanese
貴 (ki) meaning "valuable" with
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" or
君 (kimi) meaning "lord, noble" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Kinborough
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Medieval English
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)
Form of
Clara in various languages.
Klaus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish
Pronounced: KLOWS(German, Finnish)
German short form of
Nicholas, now used independently.
Konrad
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Slovene
Pronounced: KAWN-rat(German, Polish)
German, Scandinavian, Polish and Slovene form of
Conrad.
Konstantin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, German, Estonian, Finnish, Hungarian
Other Scripts: Константин(Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: kən-stun-TYEEN(Russian) KAWN-stan-teen(German) KON-stahn-teen(Finnish) KON-shtawn-teen(Hungarian)
Kris
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English, Flemish, Danish
Pronounced: KRIS(English, Flemish)
Kurt
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian
Pronounced: KUWRT(German) KURT(American English) KUT(British English)
German contracted form of
Conrad. A famous bearer was the American musician Kurt Cobain (1967-1994).
Launo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Finnish (Rare)
Lee
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LEE
From a surname that was derived from Old English
leah meaning
"clearing". The surname belonged to Robert E. Lee (1807-1870), commander of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In his honour, it has been used as a given name in the American South. It is common as a middle name.
Leila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Persian, Arabic, Kurdish, English, French, Georgian
Other Scripts: لیلا(Persian) ليلى(Arabic) لەیلا(Kurdish Sorani) ლეილა(Georgian)
Pronounced: lay-LAW(Persian) LIE-la(Arabic) LAY-lə(English) LEE-lə(English) LIE-lə(English) LAY-LA(French)
Variant of
Layla, and the usual Persian transcription.
This spelling was used by Lord Byron for characters in The Giaour (1813) and Don Juan (1819), and it is through him that the name was introduced to the English-speaking world.
Leilani
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: lay-LA-nee
Means "heavenly flowers" or "royal child" from Hawaiian lei "flowers, lei, child" and lani "heaven, sky, royal, majesty".
Leokadia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: leh-aw-KA-dya
Lerato
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Sotho
Means "love" in Sotho.
Libor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Czech
Pronounced: LI-bor
Lindita
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Means "the day is born" in Albanian, from lind "to give birth" and ditë "day".
Lindsey
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LIN-zee
Lola
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, English, French
Pronounced: LO-la(Spanish) LO-lə(English) LAW-LA(French)
Spanish
diminutive of
Dolores. A famous bearer was Lola Montez (1821-1861; birth name Eliza Gilbert), an Irish-born dancer, actress and courtesan.
Lolita
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish
Pronounced: lo-LEE-ta
Diminutive of
Lola. This is the name of a 1955 novel by Vladimir Nabokov.
Love 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: LUV
Simply from the English word love, derived from Old English lufu.
Luca 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Romanian
Pronounced: LOO-ka
Italian and Romanian form of
Lucas (see
Luke). This name was borne by Luca della Robbia, a Renaissance sculptor from Florence.
Luca 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hungarian
Pronounced: LOO-tsaw
Lucienne
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: LUY-SYEHN
Lucine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Armenian
Other Scripts: Լուսինե(Armenian)
Pronounced: loo-see-NEH
Ludivine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: LUY-DEE-VEEN
Possibly from a feminine form of
Leutwin. It was popularized in the 1970s by a character from the French miniseries
Les Gens de Mogador.
Ludmila
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech, Latvian, Russian
Other Scripts: Людмила(Russian)
Pronounced: LOOD-mi-la(Czech) lyuwd-MYEE-lə(Russian)
Means
"favour of the people" from the Slavic elements
ľudŭ "people" and
milŭ "gracious, dear".
Saint Ludmila was a 10th-century duchess of Bohemia, the grandmother of Saint Václav. She was murdered on the orders of her daughter-in-law Drahomíra.
As a Russian name, this is an alternate transcription of Людмила (usually rendered Lyudmila).
Lyric
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: LIR-ik
Means simply
"lyric, songlike" from the English word, ultimately derived from Greek
λυρικός (lyrikos).
Lyuben
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Любен(Bulgarian)
Derived from the Slavic element
ľuby meaning
"love".
Magdalene
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, English, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Μαγδαληνή(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: mak-da-LEH-nə(German) MAG-də-lin(English)
From a title meaning
"of Magdala".
Mary Magdalene, a character in the
New Testament, was named thus because she was from Magdala — a village on the Sea of Galilee whose name meant "tower" in Hebrew. She was cleaned of evil spirits by
Jesus and then remained with him during his ministry, witnessing the crucifixion and the resurrection. She was a popular
saint in the Middle Ages, and the name became common then. In England it is traditionally rendered
Madeline, while
Magdalene or
Magdalen is the learned form.
Maialen
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: MIE-a-lehn, mie-A-lehn
Marcelina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: mar-tseh-LEE-na(Polish) mar-theh-LEE-na(European Spanish) mar-seh-LEE-na(Latin American Spanish)
Polish, Spanish and Portuguese feminine form of
Marcellinus.
Marco
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch
Pronounced: MAR-ko(Italian, Spanish, German) MAR-koo(European Portuguese) MAKH-koo(Brazilian Portuguese) MAHR-ko(Dutch)
Italian form of
Marcus (see
Mark). During the Middle Ages this name was common in Venice, where
Saint Mark was supposedly buried. A famous bearer was the Venetian explorer Marco Polo, who travelled across Asia to China in the 13th century.
Marcus
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Roman, Biblical Latin, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish
Pronounced: MAR-koos(Latin) MAHR-kəs(American English) MAH-kəs(British English) MAR-kuys(Swedish)
Roman
praenomen, or given name, that was probably derived from the name of the Roman god
Mars. This was among the most popular of the Roman praenomina. Famous bearers include Marcus Tullius Cicero (known simply as Cicero), a 1st-century BC statesman and orator, Marcus Antonius (known as Mark Antony), a 1st-century BC politician, and Marcus Aurelius, a notable 2nd-century emperor. This was also the name of a pope of the 4th century. This spelling has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world, though the traditional English form
Mark has been more common.
Marietta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Greek, Hungarian, German, Polish
Other Scripts: Μαριέττα(Greek)
Pronounced: MAW-ree-eht-taw(Hungarian)
Marko
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ukrainian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Finnish, Estonian, Basque
Other Scripts: Марко(Ukrainian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: MAHR-ko(Finnish)
Form of
Mark in several languages.
Marta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Polish, Czech, Slovak, German, Dutch, Romanian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Russian, Swedish, Icelandic, Latvian, Estonian, Georgian
Other Scripts: Марта(Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Russian) მართა(Georgian)
Pronounced: MAR-ta(Spanish, Italian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, German) MAR-tu(European Portuguese) MAKH-tu(Brazilian Portuguese) MAR-tə(Catalan) MAHR-ta(Dutch) MAHR-TAH(Georgian)
Form of
Martha used in various languages.
Mattias
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Estonian
Pronounced: ma-TEE-as(Swedish)
Maximilian
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English, Swedish, Norwegian (Rare), Danish (Rare)
Pronounced: mak-see-MEE-lee-an(German) mak-sə-MIL-yən(English)
From the Roman name
Maximilianus, which was derived from
Maximus. It was borne by a 3rd-century
saint and martyr. In the 15th century the Holy Roman emperor Frederick III gave this name to his son and eventual heir. In this case it was a blend of the names of the Roman generals Fabius Maximus and Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus (see
Emiliano), whom Frederick admired. It was subsequently borne by a second Holy Roman emperor, two kings of Bavaria, and a short-lived Habsburg emperor of Mexico.
Mei 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Chinese
Other Scripts: 美, 梅, etc.(Chinese)
Pronounced: MAY
From Chinese
美 (měi) meaning "beautiful" or
梅 (méi) meaning "Chinese plum" (species Prunus mume), as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Meryem
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish, Uyghur
Other Scripts: مەريەم(Uyghur Arabic)
Pronounced: mehr-YEHM
Turkish and Uyghur form of
Miriam (see
Mary).
Methodios
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Late Greek
Other Scripts: Μεθόδιος(Ancient Greek)
Midori
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 緑, etc.(Japanese Kanji) みどり(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MEE-DO-REE
From Japanese
緑 (midori) meaning "green", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations that have the same pronunciation.
Mirja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: MEER-yah
Monifa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Yoruba (Rare)
Means "I am lucky" in Yoruba.
Moriko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 森子(Japanese Kanji) もりこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: MO-REE-KO
From Japanese
森 (mori) meaning "forest" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Morta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Lithuanian
Mozes
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Dutch
Pronounced: MO-zəs
Nala 1
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Hinduism
Other Scripts: नल(Sanskrit)
Means
"stem" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a king of the Nishadha people in the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata.
Nālani
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Hawaiian
Pronounced: na-LA-nee
Means "the heavens" or "the chiefs" from Hawaiian nā, a definite article, and lani "heaven, sky, chief".
Naoki
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 直樹, etc.(Japanese Kanji) なおき(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: NA-O-KYEE
From Japanese
直 (nao) meaning "straight, direct" and
樹 (ki) meaning "tree", as well as other combinations of different kanji with the same pronunciations.
Nekane
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Basque
Pronounced: neh-KA-neh
Means
"sorrows" in Basque. It is an equivalent of
Dolores, coined by Sabino Arana in his 1910 list of Basque
saints names.
Nela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Slovak, Portuguese, Czech, Polish
Pronounced: NEH-la(Czech)
Short form of names ending in
nela, such as
Antonela.
Niamh
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Irish, Irish Mythology
Pronounced: NYEEYW(Irish) NYEEYV(Irish) NYEEV(Irish)
Means
"bright" in Irish. She was the daughter of the sea god
Manannán mac Lir in Irish legends. She fell in love with the poet
Oisín, the son of
Fionn mac Cumhaill. It has been used as a given name for people only since the early 20th century.
Odessa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Various
From the name of a Ukrainian city that sits on the north coast of the Black Sea, which was named after the ancient Greek city of
Ὀδησσός (Odessos), of uncertain meaning. This name can also be used as a feminine form of
Odysseus.
Olivie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech
Pandora
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Πανδώρα(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PAN-DAW-RA(Classical Greek) pan-DAWR-ə(English)
Means
"all gifts", derived from a combination of Greek
πᾶν (pan) meaning "all" and
δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". In Greek
mythology Pandora was the first mortal woman.
Zeus gave her a jar containing all of the troubles and ills that mankind now knows, and told her not to open it. Unfortunately her curiosity got the best of her and she opened it, unleashing the evil spirits into the world.
Pascal
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, German, Dutch
Pronounced: PAS-KAL(French) pas-KAL(German) pahs-KAHL(Dutch)
From the Late Latin name
Paschalis, which meant
"relating to Easter" from Latin
Pascha "Easter", which was in turn from Hebrew
פֶּסַח (pesaḥ) meaning "Passover"
[1]. Passover is the ancient Hebrew holiday celebrating the liberation from Egypt. Because it coincided closely with the later Christian holiday of Easter, the same Latin word was used for both. The name Pascal can also function as a surname, as in the case of Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), the French philosopher, mathematician and inventor.
Paulina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Swedish, Lithuanian, English, Ancient Roman
Pronounced: pow-LEE-na(Spanish, Polish, Swedish) paw-LEE-nə(English)
Feminine form of
Paulinus (see
Paulino).
Persephone
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek Mythology
Other Scripts: Περσεφόνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: PEHR-SEH-PO-NEH(Classical Greek) pər-SEHF-ə-nee(American English) pə-SEHF-ə-nee(British English)
Meaning unknown, probably of Pre-Greek origin, but perhaps related to Greek
πέρθω (pertho) meaning "to destroy" and
φόνος (phonos) meaning "murder". In Greek
myth she was the daughter of
Demeter and
Zeus. She was abducted to the underworld by
Hades, but was eventually allowed to return to the surface for part of the year. The result of her comings and goings is the changing of the seasons. With her mother she was worshipped in the Eleusinian Mysteries, which were secret rites practiced at the city of Eleusis near Athens.
Pranvera
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Albanian
Pronounced: prahn-VEHR-ah
Derived from Albanian pranverë meaning "spring", itself from pranë "nearby, close" and verë "summer".
Quentin
Gender: Masculine
Usage: French, English
Pronounced: KAHN-TEHN(French) KWEHN-tən(English)
French form of the Roman name
Quintinus. It was borne by a 3rd-century
saint, a missionary who was martyred in Gaul. The
Normans introduced this name to England. In America it was brought to public attention by president Theodore Roosevelt's son Quentin Roosevelt (1897-1918), who was killed in World War I. A famous bearer is the American movie director Quentin Tarantino (1963-).
Rachel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Hebrew, French, Dutch, German, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Hebrew [1]
Other Scripts: רָחֵל(Hebrew)
Pronounced: RAY-chəl(English) RA-SHEHL(French) RAH-khəl(Dutch) RA-khəl(German)
From the Hebrew name
רָחֵל (Raḥel) meaning
"ewe". In the
Old Testament this is the name of the favourite wife of
Jacob. Her father
Laban tricked Jacob into marrying her older sister
Leah first, though in exchange for seven years of work Laban allowed Jacob to marry Rachel too. Initially barren and facing her husband's anger, she offered her handmaid
Bilhah to Jacob to bear him children. Eventually she was herself able to conceive, becoming the mother of
Joseph and
Benjamin.
The name was common among Jews in the Middle Ages, but it was not generally used as a Christian name in the English-speaking world until after the Protestant Reformation. It was moderately popular in the first half of the 20th century, but starting in the 1960s it steadily rose, reaching highs in the 1980s and 90s. The character Rachel Green on the American sitcom Friends (1994-2004) may have only helped delay its downswing.
Notable bearers include American conservationist Rachel Carson (1907-1964), British actress Rachel Weisz (1970-), and Canadian actress Rachel McAdams (1978-).
Rafael
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese, German, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovene, Hebrew
Other Scripts: רָפָאֵל(Hebrew) Рафаел(Macedonian)
Pronounced: ra-fa-EHL(Spanish, European Portuguese) ha-fa-EW(Brazilian Portuguese) RA-fa-ehl(German) RAW-faw-ehl(Hungarian)
Form of
Raphael in various languages. A famous bearer is the Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal (1986-).
Rakel
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Icelandic
Pronounced: RAH-kehl(Norwegian, Danish, Swedish)
Raphael
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, English, Biblical
Other Scripts: רָפָאֵל, רְפָאֵל(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: RA-fa-ehl(German) RAF-ee-əl(English) RAF-ay-ehl(English) rah-fie-EHL(English)
From the Hebrew name
רָפָאֵל (Rafaʾel) meaning
"God heals", from the roots
רָפָא (rafa) meaning "to heal" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". In Hebrew tradition Raphael is the name of an archangel. He appears in the Book of Tobit, in which he disguises himself as a man named
Azarias and accompanies
Tobias on his journey to Media, aiding him along the way. In the end he cures Tobias's father
Tobit of his blindness. He is not mentioned in the
New Testament, though tradition identifies him with the angel troubling the water in
John 5:4.
This name has never been common in the English-speaking world, though it has been well-used elsewhere in Europe. A famous bearer was the Italian Renaissance master Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520), usually known simply as Raphael in English.
Ravenna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: rə-VEHN-ə
Either an elaboration of
Raven, or else from the name of the city of Ravenna in Italy.
Remiel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Renata
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Polish, Czech, Lithuanian, Croatian, Slovene, Romanian, Late Roman
Pronounced: reh-NA-ta(Italian, Spanish, German, Polish) REH-na-ta(Czech)
Rica
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Short form of
Frederica and other names ending in
rica.
Ricardo
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: ree-KAR-dho(Spanish)
Spanish and Portuguese form of
Richard.
Riko
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 莉子, 理子, etc.(Japanese Kanji) りこ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: REE-KO
From Japanese
莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine" or
理 (ri) meaning "reason, logic" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Rin
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 凛, etc.(Japanese Kanji) りん(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: REEN
From Japanese
凛 (rin) meaning "dignified, severe, cold" or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
Roberta
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Pronounced: rə-BUR-tə(American English) rə-BU-tə(British English) ro-BEHR-ta(Italian, Spanish)
Roland
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, French, German, Swedish, Dutch, Hungarian, Polish, Slovak, Albanian, Georgian, Carolingian Cycle
Other Scripts: როლანდ(Georgian)
Pronounced: RO-lənd(English) RAW-LAHN(French) RO-lant(German) RO-lahnt(Dutch) RO-lawnd(Hungarian) RAW-lant(Polish)
From the Old German elements
hruod meaning "fame" and
lant meaning "land", though some theories hold that the second element was originally
nand meaning "brave"
[1].
Roland was an 8th-century military commander, serving under Charlemagne, who was killed by the Basques at the Battle of Roncevaux. His name was recorded in Latin as Hruodlandus. His tale was greatly embellished in the 11th-century French epic La Chanson de Roland, in which he is a nephew of Charlemagne killed after being ambushed by the Saracens. The Normans introduced the name to England.
Rositsa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Bulgarian
Other Scripts: Росица(Bulgarian)
Roza 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Other Scripts: Роза(Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: RO-zə(Russian)
Means
"rose" in Russian, Bulgarian and Macedonian. It is a
cognate of
Rosa 1.
Rusty
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: RUS-tee
From a nickname that was originally given to someone with a rusty, or reddish-brown, hair colour.
Ryuunosuke
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 竜之介, 龍之介, 隆之介, etc.(Japanese Kanji) りゅうのすけ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: RYOO-NO-SOO-KEH, RYOO-NO-SKEH
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
竜之介 or
龍之介 or
隆之介 (see
Ryūnosuke).
Säde
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: SA-deh
Means "ray of light" in Finnish.
Saffron
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SAF-rən
From the English word that refers either to a spice, the crocus flower from which it is harvested, or the yellow-orange colour of the spice. It is derived via Old French from Arabic
زعفران (zaʿfarān), itself probably from Persian meaning "gold leaves".
Salathiel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Biblical Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Σαλαθιήλ(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: sə-LAH-thee-əl(English)
Greek form of
Shealtiel. This form is also used in some English translations of the Bible (including the King James Version).
Sandrine
Gender: Feminine
Usage: French
Pronounced: SAHN-DREEN
Sango
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Popular Culture
Means "coral" in Japanese. This name is used in the Japanese comic book and television show InuYasha.
Sara
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Hebrew, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Catalan, Galician, Romanian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, Macedonian, Polish, English, Arabic, Persian, Amharic, Tigrinya, Biblical Hebrew [1], Biblical Latin
Other Scripts: שָׂרָה(Hebrew) Σάρα(Greek) Сара(Serbian, Macedonian) سارة(Arabic) سارا(Persian) ሳራ(Amharic, Tigrinya)
Pronounced: SA-ra(Greek, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Icelandic, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Polish, Arabic) SA-RA(French) ZA-ra(German) SAH-rah(Finnish) SEHR-ə(English) SAR-ə(English) saw-RAW(Persian)
Form of
Sarah used in various languages.
Sedna
Gender: Feminine
Usage: New World Mythology
Meaning unknown. This is the name of the Inuit goddess of the sea, sea animals and the underworld. According to some legends Sedna was originally a beautiful woman thrown into the ocean by her father. A dwarf planet in the outer solar system was named for her in 2004.
Sefu
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swahili
Possibly a Swahili form of
Saif.
Senja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Finnish
Pronounced: SEHN-yah
Sera
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SEHR-ə
Serafina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Rare)
Pronounced: seh-ra-FEE-na(Italian, Spanish)
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of
Seraphina.
Seraphina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare), German (Rare), Late Roman
Pronounced: sehr-ə-FEEN-ə(English) zeh-ra-FEE-na(German)
Feminine form of the Late Latin name
Seraphinus, derived from the biblical word
seraphim, which was Hebrew in origin and meant
"fiery ones". The seraphim were an order of angels, described by Isaiah in the Bible as having six wings each.
This was the name of a 13th-century Italian saint who made clothes for the poor. As an English name, it has never been common.
Sevda
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Turkish, Azerbaijani
Pronounced: sehv-DA(Turkish) sehv-DAH(Azerbaijani)
Means
"love, infatuation" in Turkish and Azerbaijani, ultimately from Arabic
سوداء (sawdāʾ) meaning "black bile, melancholy, sadness"
[1].
Shane
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Irish, English
Pronounced: SHAYN(English)
Anglicized form of
Seán. It came into general use in America after the release of the western movie
Shane (1953).
Shiloh
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: שִׁלוֹ, שִׁילֹה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: SHIE-lo(English)
From an
Old Testament place name possibly meaning
"tranquil" in Hebrew. It is also used prophetically in the Old Testament to refer to a person, often understood to be the Messiah (see
Genesis 49:10). This may in fact be a mistranslation.
This name was brought to public attention after actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt gave it to their daughter in 2006.
Simba 2
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swahili
Means "lion" in Swahili. This is the name of the main character in the Disney movie The Lion King (1994), about a lion cub who exiles himself after his father is murdered.
Sophronia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, Late Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Σωφρονία(Ancient Greek)
Feminine form of
Sophronius. Torquato Tasso used it in his epic poem
Jerusalem Delivered (1580), in which it is borne by the lover of
Olindo.
Sotiris
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek
Other Scripts: Σωτήρης(Greek)
Sparrow
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: SPAR-o, SPEHR-o
From the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English spearwa.
Subira
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swahili
Means
"patience" in Swahili, from Arabic
صبر (ṣabara).
Sue
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SOO
Sukie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SOO-kee
Sunny
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: English
Pronounced: SUN-ee
From the English word meaning "sunny, cheerful".
Sylvia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish
Pronounced: SIL-vee-ə(English) SIL-vee-a(Dutch) SUYL-vee-ah(Finnish)
Variant of
Silvia. This has been the most common English spelling since the 19th century.
Sylwia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Polish
Pronounced: SIL-vya
Takashi
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 孝, 隆, 崇, 尊, etc.(Japanese Kanji) たかし(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: TA-KA-SHEE
From Japanese
孝 (takashi) meaning "filial piety",
隆 (takashi) meaning "noble, prosperous" or
崇 (takashi) meaning "esteem, honour, venerate", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations that result in the same pronunciation.
Tanja
Gender: Feminine
Usage: German, Dutch, Finnish, Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Macedonian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian
Other Scripts: Тања(Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: TAN-ya(German) TAHN-ya(Dutch) TAHN-yah(Finnish)
Taťána
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech
Pronounced: TA-kya-na
Tegan
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Welsh, English (Modern)
Pronounced: TEH-gan(Welsh) TEE-gən(English)
Means
"darling" in Welsh, derived from a
diminutive of Welsh
teg "beautiful, pretty". It was somewhat common in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada in the 1980s and 90s. It was borne by an Australian character on the television series
Doctor Who from 1981 to 1984.
Tereza
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Portuguese (Brazilian), Romanian
Other Scripts: Тереза(Bulgarian, Serbian)
Pronounced: TEH-reh-za(Czech) teh-REH-za(Romanian)
Form of
Theresa in various languages.
Tobias
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, German, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, English, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Other Scripts: Τωβίας(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: to-BEE-as(German) tuw-BEE-as(Swedish) tə-BIE-əs(English)
Greek form of
Tobiah. This is the name of the hero of the apocryphal Book of Tobit, which appears in many English versions of the
Old Testament. It relates how
Tobit's son Tobias, with the help of the angel
Raphael, is able to drive away a demon who has plagued Sarah, who subsequently becomes his wife. This story was popular in the Middle Ages, and the name came into occasional use in parts of Europe at that time. In England it became common after the
Protestant Reformation.
Toby
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: TO-bee
Medieval form of
Tobias. It was sometimes used as a feminine name in the 1930s and 40s due to the influence of American actress Toby Wing (1915-2001).
Tsubasa
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 翼, etc.(Japanese Kanji) つばさ(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: TSOO-BA-SA
From Japanese
翼 (tsubasa) meaning "wing", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations with the same pronunciation.
Ulrich
Gender: Masculine
Usage: German, Germanic [1]
Pronounced: UWL-rikh(German)
From the Old German name
Odalric, derived from the element
uodil "heritage" combined with
rih "ruler, king". This was the name of two German
saints. Another famous bearer was Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531), also known as Huldrych, the leader of the
Protestant Reformation in Switzerland.
Uriel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical, Hebrew
Other Scripts: אוּרִיאֵל(Hebrew)
Pronounced: YUWR-ee-əl(English)
From the Hebrew name
אוּרִיאֵל (ʾUriʾel) meaning
"God is my light", from
אוּר (ʾur) meaning "light, flame" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Uriel is an archangel in Hebrew tradition. He is mentioned only in the Apocrypha, for example in the Book of Enoch where he warns
Noah of the coming flood.
Usagi
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Popular Culture
Pronounced: OO-SA-GYEE(Japanese)
Means "rabbit" in Japanese. This name was used on the Japanese television show Sailor Moon, which first aired in the 1990s.
Utku
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Pronounced: oot-KOO
Means "victory" in Turkish.
Vanessa
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Dutch
Pronounced: və-NEHS-ə(English) VA-NEH-SA(French) va-NEHS-sa(Italian) vu-NEH-su(European Portuguese) va-NEH-su(Brazilian Portuguese) ba-NEH-sa(Spanish) va-NEH-sa(German) vah-NEH-sa(Dutch)
Invented by author Jonathan Swift for his 1726 poem
Cadenus and Vanessa [1]. He arrived at it by rearranging the initial syllables of the first name and surname of
Esther Vanhomrigh, his close friend. Vanessa was later used as the name of a genus of butterfly. It was a rare given name until the mid-20th century, at which point it became fairly popular.
Vendela
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish
Pronounced: VEHN-deh-la
Swedish feminine form of
Wendel.
Veronika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Russian, Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian, German, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Slovene, Croatian, Macedonian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Lithuanian, Latvian
Other Scripts: Вероника(Russian, Bulgarian, Macedonian) Вероніка(Ukrainian)
Pronounced: vyi-ru-NYEE-kə(Russian) VEH-ro-ni-ka(Czech) VEH-raw-nee-ka(Slovak) veh-ro-NYEE-ku(Ukrainian) veh-RO-nee-ka(German, Croatian) VEH-ro-nee-kaw(Hungarian) veh-RAW-nee-ka(Macedonian) veh-raw-NEE-ka(Macedonian) vyeh-RAW-nyi-ku(Lithuanian)
Viktor
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Greek
Other Scripts: Виктор(Bulgarian, Russian, Serbian, Macedonian) Віктор(Ukrainian) Βίκτωρ(Greek)
Pronounced: VIK-to(German) VEEK-tor(Hungarian) VIK-tor(Czech) VEEK-tawr(Slovak, Macedonian) VYEEK-tər(Russian) VYEEK-tawr(Ukrainian)
Form of
Victor used in various languages.
Viktorie
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Czech
Pronounced: VIK-to-ri-yeh
Vilhelm
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish
Pronounced: VIL-helm(Swedish) VEEL-helm(Finnish)
Scandinavian and Finnish form of
William.
Vilhelmina
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Swedish (Rare), Lithuanian
Swedish and Lithuanian feminine form of
William.
Vince
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Hungarian
Pronounced: VINS(English) VEEN-tseh(Hungarian)
English short form and Hungarian normal form of
Vincent.
Viola
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak
Pronounced: vie-O-lə(English) vi-O-lə(English) VIE-ə-lə(English) VYAW-la(Italian) vi-OO-la(Swedish) VEE-o-la(German) vee-O-la(German) VEE-o-law(Hungarian) VI-o-la(Czech) VEE-aw-la(Slovak)
Means
"violet" in Latin. This is the name of the heroine of William Shakespeare's comedy
Twelfth Night (1602). In the play she is the survivor of a shipwreck who disguises herself as a man named Cesario. Working as a messenger for Duke
Orsino, she attempts to convince
Olivia to marry him. Instead Viola falls in love with the duke.
Vladimir
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Russian, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovene, Albanian
Other Scripts: Владимир(Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian)
Pronounced: vlu-DYEE-myir(Russian) VLA-dee-meer(Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian)
From the Old Slavic name *
Voldiměrŭ, derived from the elements
volděti meaning "to rule" and
měrŭ meaning "great, famous". The second element has also been associated with
mirŭ meaning "peace, world".
This was the name of a 9th-century ruler of Bulgaria. It was also borne by an 11th-century grand prince of Kyiv, Vladimir the Great, who is venerated as a saint because of his efforts to Christianize his realm. Other notable bearers include the revolutionary and first leader of the Soviet state Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924), the Russian author Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977), and the Russian president and prime minister Vladimir Putin (1952-).
Vlasta
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene
Other Scripts: Власта(Serbian)
Pronounced: VLA-sta(Czech, Slovak)
Originally a short form of names beginning with the Slavic element
volstĭ meaning
"power, rule, sovereignty". Descendants of this word include Czech
vlast "homeland" and Serbo-Croatian
vlast "power". It is sometimes masculine in Czech and Serbian.
Volkan
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Turkish
Pronounced: vol-KYAN
Means "volcano" in Turkish.
Wendy
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: WEHN-dee
In the case of the character from J. M. Barrie's play
Peter Pan (1904), it was created from the nickname
fwendy "friend", given to the author by a young friend. However, the name was used prior to the play (rarely), in which case it could be related to the Welsh name
Gwendolen and other names beginning with the element
gwen meaning "white, blessed". The name only became common after Barrie's play ran.
Winifred
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Welsh
Pronounced: WIN-ə-frid(English)
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.
Winter
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: WIN-tər(American English) WIN-tə(British English)
From the English word for the season, derived from Old English winter.
Wolfe
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English (Rare)
Pronounced: WUWLF
Variant of
Wolf, influenced by the spelling of the surname (which is also derived from the animal).
Wynter
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Modern)
Pronounced: WIN-tər(American English) WIN-tə(British English)
Xenia
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Greek, Spanish, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ξένια(Greek) Ξενία(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: SEH-nya(Spanish)
Means
"hospitality" in Greek, a derivative of
ξένος (xenos) meaning "foreigner, guest". This was the name of a 5th-century
saint who is venerated in the Eastern Church.
Yuki
Gender: Feminine & Masculine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 幸, 雪, 由貴, 由紀, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ゆき(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: YOO-KYEE
From Japanese
幸 (yuki) meaning "happiness" or
雪 (yuki) meaning "snow". It can also come from
由 (yu) meaning "reason, cause" combined with
貴 (ki) meaning "valuable" or
紀 (ki) meaning "chronicle". Other kanji or kanji combinations are also possible.
Yuri 2
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 百合, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ゆり(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: YOO-REE
From Japanese
百合 (yuri) meaning "lily". Other kanji or combinations of kanji can also form this name.
Yuuki
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Usage: Japanese
Other Scripts: 優希, 悠希, 優輝, 悠生, etc.(Japanese Kanji) ゆうき(Japanese Hiragana)
Pronounced: YOO-KYEE
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
優希 or
悠希 or
優輝 or
悠生 (see
Yūki).
Zara 1
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature, English
Pronounced: ZAHR-ə(English)
Used by William Congreve for a character in his tragedy
The Mourning Bride (1697), where it belongs to a captive North African queen. Congreve may have based it on the Arabic name
Zahra 1. In 1736 the English writer Aaron Hill used it to translate
Zaïre for his popular adaptation of Voltaire's French play
Zaïre (1732).
In England the name was popularized when Princess Anne gave it to her daughter in 1981. Use of the name may also be influenced by the trendy Spanish clothing retailer Zara.
Zarathustra
Gender: Masculine
Usage: History
Pronounced: zar-ə-THOOS-trə(English)
From Avestan
𐬰𐬀𐬭𐬀𐬚𐬎𐬱𐬙𐬭𐬀 (Zarathushtra), in which the second element is
𐬎𐬱𐬙𐬭𐬀 (ushtra) meaning "camel". Proposed meanings for the first element include "old", "moving", "angry" and "yellow". Zarathustra was an Iranian prophet who founded the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism around the 10th century BC. He is also called
Zoroaster in English, from the Greek form of his name
Ζωροάστρης (Zoroastres).
Zephyr
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Greek Mythology (Anglicized)
Other Scripts: Ζέφυρος(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ZEHF-ər(American English) ZEHF-ə(British English)
From the Greek
Ζέφυρος (Zephyros) meaning
"west wind". Zephyros was the Greek god of the west wind.
Zerachiel
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Judeo-Christian-Islamic Legend
Possibly means "command of God" in Hebrew. The Book of Enoch names him as one of the seven archangels. His name is sometimes rendered as Sarakiel.
Zlata
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Czech, Slovak, Russian, Ukrainian
Other Scripts: Злата(Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian)
Pronounced: ZLA-ta(Czech) ZLA-tə(Russian)
Zoe
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, German, Czech, Ancient Greek [1]
Other Scripts: Ζώη, Ζωή(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced: ZO-ee(English) DZAW-eh(Italian) THO-eh(European Spanish) SO-eh(Latin American Spanish)
Means
"life" in Greek. From early times it was adopted by Hellenized Jews as a translation of
Eve. It was borne by two early Christian
saints, one martyred under Emperor Hadrian, the other martyred under Diocletian. The name was common in the Byzantine Empire, being borne by a ruling empress of the 11th century.
As an English name, Zoe (sometimes with a diaeresis as Zoë) has only been in use since the 19th century. It has generally been more common among Eastern Christians (in various spellings).
Zuleika
Gender: Feminine
Usage: Literature
Pronounced: zoo-LAY-kə(English)
Meaning uncertain, possibly of Arabic origin. According to medieval tradition, notably related by the 15th-century Persian poet Jami, this was the name of the biblical Potiphar's wife. She has been a frequent subject of poems and tales.
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