Browse Submitted Names

Valmai f Literature, Welsh, English (Australian), English (New Zealand)
Derived from Welsh fel Mai meaning "like May". It was invented by best-selling Welsh author Allen Raine for her popular romance novel By Berwen Banks (1899). The first Valmais in the UK birth records appear in the year of the book's publication, and alternate Welsh spellings Falmai and Felmai arose some years later.... [more]

Vambola m Estonian
From a character in a novel with the same name by Estonian writer Andres Saal (1861-1931). Possibly derived from the name of Varbola castle or from the old Estonian word vambas, which means "mace".

Vanina f Corsican, Italian, French, Literature
Corsican short form of Ghjuvannina. The name was borne by 16th-century Corsican noblewoman Giovannina "Vannina" d'Ornano (also known as "Vanina").... [more]

Varis m Latvian
Derived from Latvian varēt "to be able to". This name was used by Latvian playwright Anna Brigadere in her play Maija un Paija.

Varro m Ancient Roman
Roman cognomen of which the etymology is obscure, though there is a possibility that it might be of Etruscan origin. Known bearers of this name are Roman consul Gaius Terentius Varro (3rd century BC), Roman scholar Marcus Terentius Varro (1st century BC) and Roman poet Varro Atacinus (1st century BC).

Vashni m Biblical
Meaning, "and second" given to a second born. ... [more]

Vasilisk m Russian (Rare), History (Ecclesiastical, Russified)
Russian form of Basiliscus. This is also the Russian word for "basilisk" (a type of mythological creature). This was borne by Russian avant-garde poet Vasilisk Gnedov (1890-1978), real name Vasiliy Ivanovich Gnedov.

Vassar m & f American (Rare)
Transferred use of the surname Vassar. Notable namesakes are Vassar Carlton Clements (1928 - 2005) American folk musician known as the Father of Hillbilly Jazz and female poet Vassar Miller (1924 - 1998).

Vasuki m & f Hinduism, Buddhism, Ancient Dravidian, Indian, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu
Meaning unknown. This is the name of a nagaraja (king of serpents) in Hindu and Buddhist mythology. He is a snake belonging to the god Shiva and is famous for coiling around Shiva's neck.... [more]

Venko m Bulgarian, Macedonian
Short form of Veniamin and Venelin as well as a variant of Wenceslas.... [more]

Verlaine f & m French (Rare), English (Rare), Portuguese (Brazilian, Rare), Spanish (Latin American, Rare)
Likely given in honour of French poet Paul Verlaine (1844-1896). Usage in France is feminine.

Vićentije m Serbian (Rare)
Serbian form of Vincent. Famous bearers include 16th century Serbian painter Vićentije "Vićenco" Vuković and writer and poet Vićentije Rakić (1750-1818), founder of the School of Theology.

Victorie f English (Rare), Dutch (Rare), German (Rare, Archaic)
Variant of Victoria.... [more]

Vigoleis m German (Rare, Archaic)
A modern form of Wigalois.... [more]

Vikenty m Russian
Variant transcription of Vikentiy. A bearer of this name was the Russian writer and medical doctor Vikenty Veresaev (1867-1945).

Viktualia f Literature
Derived from Swedish viktualier meaning "victuals". This is one of the middle names of Pippi Långstrump (English: Pippi Longstocking), full name Pippilotta Viktualia Rullgardina Krusmynta Efraimsdotter Långstrump, a character invented by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren.

Villanelle f American (Modern, Rare), Literature
This was used by English writer Jeanette Winterson in her novel 'The Passion' (1987). She may have taken it from the English word for a form of poetry, which is ultimately cognate with Villana.

Villemo f Swedish, Norwegian (Rare), Literature
This name was first used by the Swedish writer August Strindberg (1849-1912) for one of his poems. He may have based it on the names Vellamo or Wilhelma, or perhaps he combined the Old Norse name element vil, vili "will, desire" with Scandinavian mor "mother" (compare Lillemor, Moa).

Villimey f Icelandic (Modern)
Recently created name intended to mean "wild maiden" from Old Norse villr "wild" (compare Icelandic villiblóm "wildflower") combined with Old Norse mey "maiden, girl" (an alternative form of mær)... [more]

Vine m Indigenous American (?)
Perhaps from the surname Vine. This was borne by the Native American activist, writer and theologian Vine Deloria, Jr. (1933-2005).

Vinnette f English (American)
Combination of Vinnie with the French feminine diminutive suffix -ette (or with a name that contains it, such as Annette)... [more]

Vizbulīte f Latvian
Directly taken from Latvian vizbulīte "anemone". This name was used by Latvian poet and playwright Rainis in his play Indulis un Ārija (1911).

Vizma f Latvian
Derived from either Latvian vizmot or vizēt which both mean "to glimmer". Vizma Belševica was a Latvian poet, writer and translator. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Vladeta m Serbian
Derived from the Slavic element vladati, meaning "to rule". A famous bearer is Vladeta Jerotić, Serbian writer, psychiatrist, Jungian psychologist and erudite.

Volodia m French (Rare)
Variant of Volodya used in the Western world. It was borne by Chilean writer and activist Volodia Teitelboim (1916-2008).

Voltairine f English (American)
Feminine form of Voltaire.... [more]

Vona f English (Rare), Croatian (Rare, ?)
In Croatia, this name is allegedly a short form of Ivona.... [more]

Vreneli f German (Swiss), Dutch (Rare)
Swiss German diminutive of Verena, which has also been used as an official name in the Netherlands. Vreneli is also the informal name for a range of legal tender gold coins produced in Switzerland.... [more]

Vurğun m Azerbaijani
Means "lover, enamoured" in Azerbaijani. This was the pen name of Səməd Vurğun (1906-1956), an Azerbaijani poet and dramatist.

Walder m Literature
Created by author George R. R. Martin for several characters in his series "A Song of Ice and Fire" and the television adaptation "Game of Thrones". In the series, Walder Frey is the elderly patriarch of House Frey and the namesake of some of his descendants.

Waltilde f Medieval German, Medieval French
Derived from Old Saxon wald, Old High German walt meaning "power, authority" and Old High German hiltja meaning "battle".

Wangshu m & f Chinese Mythology, Far Eastern Mythology
From the Chinese character 望 (wàng) meaning "to gaze" combined with 舒 (shū) meaning "comfortable, easy". ... [more]

Warsan f Somali
Means "good news", derived from Somali war meaning "news" combined with the Somali feminine name suffix -san, itself a derivative of Somali wanaagsan meaning "good". A notable bearer of this name is Warsan Shire (1988-), a British writer, poet, editor and teacher of Somali descent.

Waveney f & m English (Rare)
From the place name Waveney, in occasional use as a given name since the 19th century.... [more]

Weedon m English
Transferred use of the surname Weedon. This was borne by the English actor and writer Weedon Grossmith (1854-1919), full name Walter Weedon Grossmith... [more]

Weewona f English (American, Archaic), Literature
The orphaned heroine of Lost on the Trail by Isabella Macdonald Alden, well-known 19th century American, Christian author.

Wendla f German (Rare), Theatre
Contracted form of Wendela. This was used by German dramatist Frank Wedekind for the heroine of his play 'Spring Awakening' (1891).

Werwald m Medieval French
Derived from Old High German wara "protection, watch" and Old High German walt "power, authority".

Whitfield m English
Transferred use of the surname Whitfield. A known bearer of this surname as a first name is the American cryptographer Whitfield Diffie (b... [more]

Wilberforce m English (Rare)
Transferred use of the surname Wilberforce. British author P. G. Wodehouse used it for the middle name of his famous fictional character Bertie Wooster.

Willehalm m Medieval German, Literature
Variant of Willehelm.... [more]

Willibrordus m Anglo-Saxon (Latinized), Dutch, Indonesian (Rare)
Latinized form of Willibrord. A known bearer of this name was the Indonesian dramatist and poet Willibrordus S. Rendra (1935-2009).

Wilsonia f Obscure
Its a feminine form of Wilson. Notable bearers are Wilsonia E.D. Cherry, the deputy director of the Educations Program and Sonia Sanchez, born Wilsonia Benita Driver, a writer of many formats and a professor.

Wineva f English (American, Rare), American (South, Rare)
This name has been in occasional use in the U.S. since the 19th century, particularly in the area of Missouri and Iowa.... [more]

Wiress f Literature
Invented by author Suzanne Collins for her novel 'Catching Fire' and used as the name of District Three's female Quarter Quell tribute. As District Three produces electronics, her name is most likely an elaboration of the word wire, influenced by the feminine suffix -ess.

Wirnt m Medieval German
A shortened form of Wernhard.... [more]

Witter m English (American, Rare)
Transferred use of the surname Witter. ... [more]

Wivine f French (African), Walloon (Rare), Flemish (Rare), Dutch (Rare)
French form of Wivina. A known bearer of this name is the Congolese poet and political figure Kavidi Wivine N'Landu.

Wolfhilde f German (Rare)
Variant of Wulfhilde.... [more]

Won-a-pa-lei f Literature
Means "the girl with the long black hair" in the fictional language of the Native American tribe in American author Scott O'Dell's children's novel 'Island of the Blue Dolphins'. It is the 'common' name, or the name shared with others, of Karana (which is her 'secret' name) who is the young protagonist of the story.

Worasit m Thai
From Thai วร (wora) meaning "excellent, distinguished, best" and สิทธิ์ (sit) meaning "right, authority, privilege".

Wyldon m Literature
A character in the Protector of the Small book series (author Tamora Pierce). Presumably it is a variant of Weldon.

Xanthias m Ancient Greek, Theatre
Derived from Greek ξανθος (xanthos) meaning "yellow" or "fair hair". This was used by the Greek playwright Aristophanes in works including 'The Frogs'; all of the characters named Xanthias are slaves.

Xaviel m Spanish (Rare)
This name is possibly a combination of Xavier with a Hebrew name ending in -iel, such as Gabriel. However, given the fact that this name has been around in the Spanish-speaking world since at least the 18th century, it could also be an independent name of its own (in which case its etymology is unknown), as combining names in that manner generally seems to be a fairly modern phenomenon in the Spanish-speaking world.... [more]

Xènius m Catalan
The Catalan writer Eugeni d'Ors has used this name as a pen name. (See Xenius and Xènia.)

Xenocles m Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of Xenokles. Known bearers of this name include a Greek poet (5th century BC) and the Olympic victor Xenocles of Messenia (8th century BC).

Xenokleides m Ancient Greek
Means "son of Xenokles" in Greek, derived from the name Xenokles combined with the patronymic suffix ἴδης (ides).... [more]

Xenophanes m Ancient Greek
Derived from Greek ξένος (xenos) meaning "foreign, strange" as well as "foreigner, guest" combined with the Greek adjective φάνης (phanes) meaning "appearing".... [more]

Xenophilius m Literature
Variant form of Xenophilus. This particular form seems to not ever have been borne by someone in real life, so this is best suited for the Literature category, as the name has been used by British author J.K. Rowling in her "Harry Potter" books, which feature a character named Xenophilius Lovegood.

Xiangru m Chinese
From a combination of the characters 相 (xiàng, meaning “visage” or “chancellor”) and 如 (rú, meaning “like, resemblance”). This is the name of Lin Xiangru (蔺相如), a famous statesman and diplomat during the Chinese Warring States period (475 - 221 BCE)... [more]

Xiran f Chinese
Name used by author, Xiran Jay Zhao, meaning hopefully normal.

Xudoyberdi m Uzbek
Means "God sent" in Uzbek, from Uzbek xudo "God" and yberdi "gave, sent". Xudoyberdi To'xtaboyev was an Uzbek writer of children's stories.

Xuela f Literature
Named after the fictional character Xuela Claudette Richardson in the novel, "The Autobiography of My Mother", by Jamaica Kincaid. ... [more]

Yakumo m & f Japanese
This name combines 八 (hachi, ya, ya'.tsu, ya.tsu, you) meaning "eight", 弥 (bi, mi, amaneshi, iya, iyoiyo, tooi, hisashi, hisa.shii, ya, wata.ru) meaning "all the more, increasingly", 矢 (shi, ya) meaning "arrow, dart" or 耶 (ja, ya, ka) meaning "question mark" with 雲 (un, kumo, -gumo) meaning "cloud."... [more]

Yambo m Western African
A famous bearer was Yambo Ouologuem (1940–2017) a Malian writer. Possibly from the Dogon language.

Yanai m Hebrew
Derived from Hebrew ya'anay meaning "he answers" or "Yahweh answers". This was the name of a Jewish poet from the 7th century AD.

Yanette f Picard, Spanish (Latin American)
Feminine diminutive of Yan 3, as well as a Hispanic variant of Janet. A known bearer was French poet Yanette Delétang-Tardif (1902-1976), who was born Anne Marie Paule Delétang in Picardy.

Yaoji f Chinese Mythology, Far Eastern Mythology
From a combination of the characters 瑶 (yao, meaning “beautiful jade”) 姬 (ji, meaning “princess” or “noble woman”). Yaoji is the goddess of Wushan, a mountain in southern China. Some sources say that she was a daughter of the Flame Emperor, while later ones incorporate her into the Daoist religion by making her a daughter of Xiwangmu.... [more]

Yaseni f & m Arabic
The name comes from a chapter of the Holy Qur'an called Ya Sin.... [more]

Yasuhiro m Japanese
From Japanese 安 (yasu) meaning "peace, quiet" combined with 央 (hiro) meaning "centre, middle". Other kanji combinations are possible.... [more]

Yasumi m & f Japanese
From Japanese 安 (yasu) meaning "calm, peaceful", 恭 (yasu) meaning "respect", 康 (yasu) meaning "peace", 妥 (yasu) meaning "gentle", 泰 (yasu) meaning "peaceful, calm", 悌 (yasu) meaning "brotherly, respectful", 寧 (yasu) meaning "rather", 八 (ya) meaning "eight", 保 (yasu) meaning "to raise; to rear", 也 (ya) meaning "also", 夜 (ya) meaning "night", 矢 (ya) meaning "arrow", 靖 (yasu) meaning "peaceful, calm, easygoing" or 晏 (yasu) meaning "peaceful, quiet", 州 (su) meaning "prefecture", 寸 (su) meaning "measurement" or 壽 or 寿 (su) both meaning "longevity, long life" combined with 見 (mi) meaning "to see", 三 (mi) meaning "three", 実 (mi) meaning "fruit", 純 (mi) meaning "pure", 身 (mi) meaning "body, identity", 水 (mi) meaning "water", 未 (mi) meaning "the Sheep", 巳 (mi) meaning "sign of the snake", 生 (mi) meaning "raw, live", 海 (mi) meaning "sea, ocean", 己 (mi) meaning "self", 心 (mi) meaning "heart, mind, soul", 美 (mi) meaning "beautiful", 隅 (sumi) meaning "corner, nook, remote place" or 満 (mi) meaning "fullness"... [more]

Yasunari m Japanese
From Japanese 康 (yasu) meaning "peaceful" combined with 成 (nari) meaning "to become". Other combinations of kanji characters are possible. ... [more]

Yerma f Theatre, Spanish (Rare)
The title character in a tragic play by the Spanish playwright and poet Federico García Lorca: Yerma (1934). Her name is the feminine form of the Spanish word yermo meaning "desert" or "barren".

Yetive f English (American, Rare), Spanish (Latin American, Rare), Literature
Coined by American writer George Barr McCutcheon for the character Princess Yetive in his 'Graustark' series, set in the fictional Eastern European country of Graustark: 'Graustark' (1901), 'Beverly of Graustark' (1904) and 'Truxton King' (1909)... [more]

Ygritte f Literature
Created by author George R.R. Martin for a character in his series A Song of Ice and Fire (1996) and its television adaptation Game of Thrones (2011-2019). It was borne by a character of the Free Folk.

Ylermi m Finnish, Literature
Invented by Finnish poet Eino Leino (1878-1926) for the main character of his poem Helkavirsiä I. Perhaps derived from Finnish ylevä "sublime" or from the prefix ylä- "superior, upper, high, higher"... [more]

Yo m Japanese (Rare)
Yo can mean "sunny",and possibly "positive", it's not often by itself. A famous bearer is Yo Sano, the author of ' Tonari no onna' ('The Woman Next Door').

Yo-han m Korean
From Sino-Korean 耀 "shine, sparkle, dazzle; glory" or 曜 "glorious, as sun; daylight, sunlight" (yo), and 翰 "writing brush" or 漢 "the Chinese people, Chinese language" (han). Yo-han is also the Korean form of John... [more]

Yohance m African American (Rare), Hausa (?)
Used by American comedian, writer and civil rights activist Dick Gregory for his son born 1973. According to a 1973 issue of Jet magazine, Gregory and his wife Lillian found the name in a book called Names from Africa, and Yohance 'means "God's gift" in the Hausa language of Nigeria.'

Yoriko f Japanese
From Japanese 依 (yori) meaning "rely on, be dependent upon" combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible. ... [more]

Yoshihiro m Japanese
From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck", 愛 (yoshi) meaning "love, affection", 伊 (yoshi) meaning "Iraq, Iran", 允 (yoshi) meaning "to grant, to allow, to consent", 佳 (yoshi) meaning "beautiful, good", 可 (yoshi) meaning "passable", 嘉 (yoshi) meaning "praise, auspicious", 賀 (yoshi) meaning "congratulate, greet, celebrate", 歓 (yoshi) meaning "happy, pleased, glad", 喜 (yoshi) meaning "rejoice", 宜 (yoshi) meaning "best regards", 義 (yoshi) meaning "right conduct; righteousness; justice; morality", 圭 (yoshi) meaning "jade pointed at top", 恵 (yoshi) meaning "favour, benefit", 慶 (yoshi) meaning "celebrate", 厳 (yoshi) meaning "strict, rigorous, rigid, stern", 垢 (yoshi) meaning "grime", 好 (yoshi) meaning "fondness; what one likes", 孔 (yoshi) meaning "hole, aperture, opening", 克 (yoshi) meaning "gram, gramme", 善 (yoshi) meaning "good, virtuous, charitable, kind", 禎 (yoshi) meaning "lucky, auspicious, good omen", 美 (yoshi) meaning "beautiful", 芳 (yoshi) meaning "fragrant", 由 (yoshi) meaning "cause, reason", 良 (yoshi) meaning "good, virtuous, respectable" or 贇 (yoshi) meaning "affable, agreeable, pleasant" combined with 洋 (hiro) meaning "ocean"... [more]

Yudi m Chinese Mythology, Far Eastern Mythology
From a combination of the characters 玉 (yu, meaning “jade”) and 帝 (di, meaning “emperor”). In Daoist mythology, Yudi is the supreme ruler of the cosmos who has authority over heaven, earth and hell... [more]

Yuyuko f Japanese
From Japanese 結 (yu) meaning "tie, fasten, join, organize", 優 (yu) meaning "gentleness, lithe, superior" or 幽 (yu) meaning "dark", 由 (yu) meaning "cause, reason" or duplicated using 々 combined with 子 (ko) meaning "child"... [more]

Zadie f English
Variant of Sadie. A known bearer of this name is British author Zadie Smith (1975-), who was born Sadie Smith.

Zazie f French
French diminutive of Isabelle. The French author Raymond Queneau used this for the title character of his novel 'Zazie dans le métro' (1959; English: 'Zazie in the Metro'), which was adapted by Louis Malle into a film (1960).

Zealia f English (American, Rare)
Variant of Zelia.... [more]

Zebunnissa f Urdu, Indian (Muslim), History
Means "beauty of women", from Persian zeb meaning "beauty" combined with Arabic nissa meaning "women". This name was borne by Zeb-un-Nissa (1638-1702), an Mughal princess who was also a poet.

Zelica f Literature
Used by Thomas Moore in his poem 'Lalla Rookh' (1817), where it belongs to the tragic heroine of the first tale that the poet Feramorz sings to Lalla. In the tale, Zelica and Azim are young lovers who live in the province of Khorassan.

Zelmira f Theatre, Italian (Rare), Hungarian (Rare), Spanish (Latin American, Rare)
Form of Želimira and a feminine form of Gelmir. This name belongs to the title character of a Rossini opera; Zelmira (1822) was based on the play Zelmire (1762) by the French playwright de Belloy, about a princess of Lesbos who must save her father and husband from evil political machinations.

Zeltīte f Latvian
Derived from Latvian zelts "gold" (compare Zelta). Latvian poet and playwright Aspazija used this name for her play Zeltīte (1901).

Zephalinda f English, Literature
A name coined by the English poet Alexander Pope, appearing in his poem "Epistle to Miss Blount" (1715).

Zeri m English, Biblical
In the Bible, one of the six musical sons of the poet Jeduthun. Identical to Izri.

Zhenduo m Chinese
From a combination of the characters 振 (zhèn, meaning “to arouse, to ring”) and 铎 (duó, meaning “wooden bell”). Originally just meaning “to ring a bell”, it later connoted the issuing of warnings, the giving of commandments or the practice of a teaching career... [more]

Zia m Biblical, Hebrew
Possibly means "sweat, swelling" in Hebrew. Hebrew name of a man mentioned in the Old Testament, 1 Chronicles 5:13, in a genealogical list. This 'has been used as a first name in Britain since the 1960s, but is likely to be mistaken for a girl's name' (Dunkling & Gosling, 1986)... [more]

Zianya f & m Literature
It means "forever loved" or "always loved"... [more]

Zig m English (Rare)
Short form of Ziggy. In the case of American motivational speaker and self-help author Hilary Hinton 'Zig' Ziglar (1926-2012), it was a short form of his surname (see Ziglar).

Zitkala-ša f Sioux
Means "red bird" from Lakota ziŋtkála "bird" and šá "red". This name was adopted by a Yankton Dakota writer and political activist, birth name Gertrude Simmons (1876-1938).

Zofka f Polish, Slovene, Kashubian
Polish and Slovene diminutive of Zofia and Kashubian diminutive of Zofiô. Zofka Kveder (1878 – 1926) is considered one of the first Slovene women writers and feminists.

Zoon f Kashmiri
Means "moon" in Kashmiri.... [more]

Zuhur f Arabic
Means "flowers" in Arabic, a plural form of زهْرة (zahra). Known bearers of this name include Zuhur Dixon (1933-2021), an Iraqi poet, and Zuhur Wanasi (1936-), an Algerian author and politician known for her powerful short stories and for her role as one of the first women in Algerian government.

Żywila f Polish, Literature
Coined by Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz for the titular character of one of his early works. It is uncertain where he found the inspiration for this name. One theory derives this name from Lithuanian žygiuoti "to move; to march" and viltis "hope", while other scholars believe this name to be a much-mangled form of Zizili, the name of an obscure fertility goddess of whom nothing else is known; should the name indeed be derived from Zizili, then its meaning would be lost... [more]