AdalrunfOld High German Derived from Old High German adal "noble" and runa "secret lore, rune". This was used for a character in a minor German opera, De Kaisertochter (The Emperor's Daughter; 1885) by Willem de Haan.
AlzirefTheatre, Literature Used by Voltaire for the heroine of his tragic play 'Alzire, ou les Américains' (1736), about a young indigenous Peruvian woman, daughter of a powerful chief. The heroine is named Alzira in Verdi's opera based on the play... [more]
AmintormTheatre Variant of Amyntor. This was used by Beaumont and Fletcher for the hero of their play 'The Maid's Tragedy' (ca. 1608-11) and later by Isaac Bickerstaffe for a character in his comic opera 'Daphne and Amintor' (1765).
AmnerisfTheatre Possibly invented by the French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette for use in Verdi's opera 'Aida' (1871), where it belongs to a daughter of the Egyptian pharaoh, a jealous rival of the title character. Perhaps it was based on Amestris or a name of Egyptian origin.
AndvarimNorse Mythology Means "careful one". In Norse mythology Andvari was a dwarf who lived under a waterfall and could change himself into a fish at will. He had a pile of gold and a magical ring, Andvaranaut, which made him wealthy... [more]
AriodantemCarolingian Cycle, Literature, Theatre, Italian (Rare) This is the name of an Italian knight from canto V of the 16th-century epic poem Orlando furioso written by the Italian poet Ludovico Ariosto (1474-1533). Two centuries later, the character became the subject of George Frideric Handel's opera seria Ariodante (1735).... [more]
AristéafFrench, Theatre Feminine form of Aristaeus. This is the name of a character in Vivaldi's opera L'Olimpiade (1734).
AtzimbafPurépecha Meaning uncertain. It was used for the title character in Ricardo Castro's historical opera Atzimba (1900), about the relationship between a Purépecha princess and the Spanish captain Villadiego.
BancomTheatre Italian form of Banquo used in the opera 'Macbeth' premiered in 1847 by Giuseppe Verdi and Francesco Maria Piave. This name is only used for this opera as banco coincides with the Italian meaning "bench; desk; bank".
BánkmHungarian BÁNK is a masculine Hungarian name. It is the name of the title character in the Opera Bánk Bán. Bán is a title of Hungarian nobility.
BraxmEnglish (Australian) Short form of Braxton, popularized by the character Darryl 'Brax' Braxton of the soap opera Home and Away.
CallidiafTheatre, Literature Probably derived from the Latin adjective calidus, which may be translated as "warm, hot, fiery," or "passionate". Callidia is Queen Veremonda's maid in an Italian opera called "Veremonda, l'amazzone di Aragona" (with the English translation being "Veremonda, the Amazon of Aragon" also known as "Il Delio")... [more]
CallirhoéfTheatre Variant of Callirrhoé used by French composer André Cardinal Destouches for his opera Callirhoé (1712).
CaressfEnglish (American, Rare), African American (Rare) Directly from the English word caress meaning "an act or expression of kindness or affection", ultimately from Latin carus "beloved". A fictional bearer was Cassandra 'Caress' Morell, a prominent character on the American soap opera Dynasty, who appeared on the show in 1986... [more]
CharicléefTheatre French form of Chariclea which was used on one of the titular characters of Henri Desmarets's opera Théagène et Chariclée (1695).
CherubinomMedieval Italian, Italian (Rare), Theatre Derived from Latin cherubin meaning "cherubs, cherubim", which refers to a class of angels known as the cherubim. The term ultimately comes from Hebrew, but it has been theorized that the Jews borrowed the word from Akkadian kuribu meaning "to bless" or from Assyrian ܟܪܘܒܐ (karabu) meaning "great, mighty".... [more]
ChrysanthèmefLiterature Means "chrysanthemum" in French. This was used in Pierre Loti's novel Madame Chrysanthème (1887), which was adapted into an opera in 1893 by André Messager.
CianafTheatre Truncated form of Luciana. This name was borne by the titular character Madama Ciana of Gaetano Latilla's opera (1738).
CijifPopular Culture, English (American, Rare) Possibly an invented name, perhaps a phonetic spelling of the initials C and G. This was used for a character on the American soap opera Knots Landing, Ciji Dunne. She is a character that debuted on the show in 1982... [more]
ClytiefGreek Mythology (Latinized), English (Rare), American (South) Latinized form of Klytië. It was used by British author Joseph Hatton for the heroine of his novel Clytie (1874), and borne by Australian opera singer Clytie Hine (1887-1983); it was also the birth name of Australian ceramic artist Klytie Pate (1912-2010)... [more]
CorisandefLiterature, Theatre, French (Rare), Dutch (Rare) Meaning uncertain, from the name of a character in medieval legend, possibly first recorded by Spanish writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. Perhaps it was derived from an older form of Spanish corazón "heart" (e.g., Old Spanish coraçon; ultimately from Latin cor "heart", with the hypothetic Vulgar Latin root *coratione, *coraceone) or the Greek name Chrysanthe... [more]
DeckermAmerican (South), English (American, Rare) Transferred use of the surname Decker. This was used for a character on the American soap opera General Hospital: Decker Moss, a character that debuted on the show in 1989.
DivarafMedieval Dutch (Latinized), Theatre Latinized form of Dietwara (possibly via its variant Thiwara), which is a younger and strictly feminine form of the unisex name Theodoar. Also compare Divera, which is very closely related.... [more]
DodgermEnglish (Rare), Literature, Popular Culture From the English word dodger meaning "one who dodges; one who avoids, evades, or sidesteps". Traditionally a nickname, it is occasionally used as a given name. Fictional bearers include Jack Dawkins, better known as the Artful Dodger, a character from Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist (1838) who befriends Oliver and entreats him to join Fagin's team of young pickpockets, as well as the title character in Terry Pratchett's 2012 novel Dodger (loosely based on Dickens' Dodger) and Mark 'Dodger' Savage, a character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks (introduced 2011)... [more]
DorabellafTheatre, American (South, Rare, Archaic) Dorabella is a character in Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti (All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers; 1790 ), an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
DynastyfAfrican American (Modern) Possibly inspired by the popular '80s soap opera of the same name. The name derives from the English word dynasty, which is ultimately derived from Greek dunasteia meaning "power, dominion".
ElisettafTheatre, Italian (Rare) Contracted form of Elisabetta. It was used for one of the main characters in Cimarosa's opera Il matrimonio segreto (The Secret Marriage) which debuted in 1792.
ErnelindafTheatre Ernelinda (1726) is an opera by Leonardo Vinci.
EryxenefTheatre Alteration of Eryxo used by Plutarch in his essay Virtues of Women, perhaps formed using the Greek element ξενος (xenos) "foreigner, guest"... [more]
EsilenafTheatre This was the name of the wife of the title character in Georg Friedrich Händel's opera 'Rodrigo' (1707), which was loosely based on the life of Roderick, the last Visigothic king of Spain. It may be based on Egilona, the name of the wife of the historical figure.
FasoltmGermanic Mythology, Theatre In Richard Wagner's opera cycle "The Ring", Fasolt is the brother of Fáfnir (here called Fafner) and is killed by him in an argument.
FenenafTheatre Variant of Fenenna used in the opera Nabucco (1842) by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901).
FevroniyafRussian (Rare), Ukrainian (Rare), Theatre Russian and Ukrainian form of Febronia. It was used by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in his opera 'The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya' (1907).
FiammettefTheatre Gallicized form of Fiammetta. La reine Fiammette (1903) is an opera in four acts by composer Xavier Leroux.
FiordiligifCarolingian Cycle, Literature, Theatre, Italian (Archaic) Means "flower of the lily", derived from Italian fiore di giglio, a loan-translation of French fleur de lys. It was used by the Italian poet Ludovico Ariosto in his epic poem Orlando furioso (16th century), where it belongs to the wife of Brandimarte... [more]
FleanziomItalian, Theatre Italian form of Fleance. This is the form used in the opera 'Macbeth' premiered in 1847 by Giuseppe Verdi and Francesco Maria Piave.
GirnarafTheatre Girnara is the eponymous character in 'Die Prinzessin Girnara' (The Princess Girnara) an opera in two acts by Egon Wellesz based on an Indian legend.
GiuniafItalian, Theatre Italian form of Junia. It was used for the female lead character in Mozart's opera Lucio Silla (1772).
GraylingmEnglish (American) Transferred use of the surname Grayling. It was popularized in the 1950s by the character Grayling Dennis from the radio soap opera The Brighter Day (1948-1956) and its television version (1954-1962).
GrimgerdefTheatre Composed from the Germanic name element grimo "mask" and the name Gerd 2. Grimgerde is one of the valkyries in Richard Wagner's opera 'Die Walküre'.
GrisélidisfTheatre French form of Griselda used by Jules Massenet in his opera 'Grisélidis' (1901). This was borne by Grisélidis Réal (1929-2005), a writer and sex worker from Switzerland.
HelianefGerman Feminine form of Helios. This name was used in the German opera "The Miracle of Heliane" in 1927. It has also been used in France.
HelmwigefTheatre Derived from the Germanic name elements helm "helmet" and wig "battle". Helwige is the name of one of the valkyries in Richard Wagner's opera 'Die Walküre'.
Hernanim & fSpanish, Theatre Often considered a diminutive of Hernán or Hernando. The French author Victor Hugo used it for the title hero of his play Hernani (1830) (which Verdi adapted into the opera Ernani in 1844), though in this case it was taken from the Spanish place name Hernani, a town in the Basque Country, which allegedly means "top of an illuminated hill" from Basque.
HervafEnglish (American) The name was derived from the French surname Hervé as a reference to the French socialist Gustave Hervé. It was borne by the opera singer Herva Nelli.
HerzeleidefGerman, Literature, Theatre From the German word for "heart sorrow, heartache". Herzeloyde was its original form, created by Wolfram von Eschenbach for the Queen of Wales and mother of Perceval in his Middle High German romance Parzival (1200–1210), probably to express the queen’s sorrow for losing her husband and later her son (when Perceval leaves her lands for King Arthur's court, she dies from a broken heart)... [more]
JabbamPopular Culture Jabba Desilijic Tiure or Jabba the Hutt is a character appearing in George Lucas's space opera film saga Star Wars. He is depicted as a large, slug-like alien.
JainafTheatre This is used as the German translation of Jane in the 1881's opera Patience.
JenůfafCzech (Rare), Theatre 'Jenůfa', also known as 'Její pastorkyňa' ("Her Stepdaughter"), is an opera in three acts by Leoš Janáček based on the play 'Její pastorkyňa' by Gabriela Preissová... [more]
JessondafTheatre Used for the heroine of Louis Spohr's Romantic opera 'Jessonda, or the Rajah's Wife' (1823), about a young royal widow who is rescued from the funeral pyre by the Portuguese general Tristan, her former sweetheart.
JoyellefEnglish Elaboration of Joy using the popular name suffix elle, possibly influenced by Joelle. In 1975, it was used for a newborn baby on the American soap opera How to Survive a Marriage.
KatishafTheatre, African American (Rare) Meaning unknown. This was used for a character in Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera The Mikado (1885), set in Japan. Since the 1970s it has also been used as a blend of the prefix ka with the name Latisha.
KeitaroumJapanese From Japanese 圭 (kei) meaning "jade pointed at top", 太 (ta) meaning "thick, big" combined with 郎 (rou) meaning "son". Other kanji combinations are possible. ... [more]
KestiefEnglish It is the name of Australian actress, Kestie Morassi (1971-). Her roles include the role of Natalie in the HBO series Satisfaction and Maggie Astoni on Australian Soap Opera, Home and Away.
KhivryafUkrainian (Rare, Archaic), Theatre Ukrainian variant of Fevroniya. The name was borne by a character in Modest Mussorgsky's comic opera 'The Fair at Sorochyntsi' (1874 - 1880) which was based on Nikolai Gogol's short story of the same name, from his early (1832) collection of Ukrainian stories 'Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka'.
LahomafEnglish (American, Rare) Possibly derived from a short form of the place name Oklahoma, which means "red people" from Choctaw okla "people" combined with humma "red" (see Oklahoma)... [more]
Lakenf & mEnglish (American, Modern, Rare) Elaboration of Lake. It became popular after a character named Laken Lockridge was introduced in the American soap opera Santa Barbara in 1984.
LakméfFrench The name Lakmé is the French rendition of Sanskrit Lakshmi, the name of the Hindu “Goddess of Wealth”.... [more]
LellafEnglish (Rare), American (South), Italian, Medieval Italian Medieval Italian diminutive of names ending in ella. It can also be used as a diminutive of Elena and other names beginning with or containing el. This was borne by Italian opera singer Adelaide 'Lella' Ricci (1850-1871) as well as Italian actress Elena 'Lella' Fabrizi (1915-1993), Italian designer Elena 'Lella' Vignelli (1934-2016) and Italian racing driver Maria Grazia 'Lella' Lombardi (1941-1992).... [more]
LeporellomTheatre Name of Don Giovanni's servant in W. A. Mozart's opera Don Giovanni.
LicidamItalian (Archaic), Theatre Italian form of Lycidas. It is chiefly used in the opera libretto L'Olimpiade (1733), which was written by the Italian poet and librettist Pietro Metastasio (1698-1782).
LindormTheatre, Afro-American (Slavery-era) Of uncertain origin and meaning; theories include a corruption of Leander. This name first featured in medieval romances, often for lovelorn shepherds, later appearing in Jean-Baptiste Niels's ballet Les Romans (1736), Egidio Duni's opera Nina et Lindor (1761) and Mozart's Variation in E-flat Major on the romance "Je suis Lindor".
LindoromTheatre, Spanish (Mexican) Variant of Lindor. Lindoro is a character in the opera L'italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers in English; 1813) by Gioachino Rossini and Angelo Anelli.
LodoïskafTheatre, French (Rare), Louisiana Creole, French (Quebec, Archaic) Lodoïska is a French opéra comique (1791) by Luigi Cherubini. It was inspired by an episode from Jean-Baptiste Louvet de Couvrai’s novel Les amours du chevalier de Faublas and is considered one of the first Romantic operas... [more]
LodolettafItalian, Italian (Tuscan), Theatre Probably coined by Pietro Mascagni for the titular character of his "dramma lirico" or lyric opera Lodoletta (1917), which was based on the novel Two Little Wooden Shoes by Marie Louise de la Ramée, (Ouida).... [more]
LuranahfEnglish (American, Archaic) Variant of Lurana. This was borne by English opera singer Luranah Aldridge (1860-1932). She was a daughter of American-born English actor Ira Aldridge and was named in honour of his mother, Luranah.
LurlinefEnglish, Jamaican Patois, Theatre English poetic variant of Lorelei. William Vincent Wallace used it for the title character, a nymph of the Rhine River, in his opera Lurline (first performed 1860).
LushanyafChickasaw Possibly means "songbird" in Chickasaw, perhaps from the Chickasaw taloowa 'sing, chanter' and foshi 'bird'.... [more]
MacbettomTheatre (Italianized) Italian form of Macbeth. This is the form used by Giuseppe Verdi for the main character in the opera 'Macbeth' premiered in 1847 based on Shakespeare's masterpiece.
MagdelonefDanish (Archaic), Theatre Variant of Magdalena, possibly influenced by Madelon. This name is bone by a character in Carl Nielsen's opera 'Maskarade' (1906), which is considered to be the country's national opera.
ManricomItalian (Rare), Popular Culture Italian form of Manric. In popular culture, Manrico is the name of a character from the opera "Il trovatore" by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901).
MansuetomItalian Italian form of Mansuetus. It is borne by the Italian Catholic bishop Mansueto Bianchi (1949-); other known bearers include the Italian basso profondo opera singer Mansueto Gaudio (1873-1941) and Italian composer Mansueto Viezzer (1925-2009).
MimemGermanic Mythology Meaning unknown. In Richard Wagner's The Ring opera cycle, Mime is the brother of Alberich and the maker of the magic helmet Tarnhelm.
MindiamGeorgian, Folklore, Literature Basically means "I wanted you", derived from Georgian მინდია (mindia) or მინდოდა (mindoda) meaning "I wanted". This name literally refers to the fact that the child in question was desired by its parents.... [more]
MinonafLiterature, Theatre, German (Rare, Archaic) Coined by Scottish poet James Macpherson for his 18th-century Ossian poems where the name is borne by Minona, a singer who sings before the king the song of the unfortunate Colma. Macpherson names the alleged Scottish Gaelic words Min-ónn "gentle air" as an etymological explanation of the name (compare Scottish Gaelic mìn "gentle; soft (of a sound)" and fonn "tune, melody").... [more]
MirentxufBasque Diminutive form of Miren. It's also the name of the main character in Jesús Guridi's 1910 opera "Mirentxu".
MorvorenfCornish (Modern, Rare) Derived from Cornish morvoren "mermaid" (ultimately from Cornish mor "sea" and moren "maiden"). This was the bardic name or pseudonym of a member of the Gorsedh Kernow (Katherine Lee Jenner, 1904)... [more]
MotezumamTheatre Motezuma is an opera in three acts by Antonio Vivaldi with an Italian libretto by Alvise Giusti. The libretto is very loosely based on the life of the Aztec ruler Montezuma who died in 1520.
MrikafAlbanian, Theatre Variant of Mrikë. Mrika (1958) is an opera in three acts composed by Prenkë Jakova with a libretto in Albanian by Llazar Siliqi.
MurmanmGeorgian, Literature, Theatre Meaning uncertain, as the available sources each provide a different etymology for this name. According to a Georgian source, Murman is a phonetic variant of Murvan... [more]
MusettafTheatre, Italian (Tuscan) Latinate form of Musette, which was possibly based on the dance style, popular in Paris in the 1880s, which took its name from a kind of small bagpipe. It was used by Puccini for the lover of Marcello in his opera La Bohème (1896), which was based on La Vie de Bohème (1851) by Henri Murger (who named the character Musette).... [more]
NaïsfGreek Mythology (Gallicized), Theatre French form of Nais. Naïs is the main character of Jean-Philippe Rameau's 1749 Naïs: Opéra pour La Paix, a play about the god Neptune falling in love with the titular nymph.
NeddafSicilian, Theatre, Hungarian Sicilian diminutive of Antonietta as well as a Sicilian form of Nella. The name was also adopted into Hungarian usage. Furthermore, this name is borne by the main female role in the opera 'Pagliacci'.
OnintzafBasque Variant of Onintze. This name was used on a character in Jose Olaizoal's opera 'Oleskari zaharra'.
OperettafPopular Culture Italian diminutive of "opera" and was used originally to describe a shorter, perhaps less ambitious work than an opera. Operetta provides an alternative to operatic performances in an accessible form targeting a different audience... [more]
OrtlindefTheatre The name can be interpreted as a dithematic Germanic name formed of the name elements ort "point (of a sword or a lance)" and linta "linden tree, lime; shield (made of lime wood); gentle, soft"... [more]
OseliefNorwegian (Archaic) Variant of Åselie. In some cases, however, it may have been a borrowing of the stage name of the Norwegian opera singer Gina Oselio (Ingeborg Mathilde Laura Aas, 1858-1937), who had based it on the Norwegian surname Aas.
PaatamGeorgian Derived from the Georgian adjective პატარა (patara) meaning "little, small" as well as "young" (sometimes in reference to a child). Also compare the Georgian adjective პაწაწინა (patsatsina) meaning "wee, tiny".... [more]
PaminafGerman, Theatre Pamina is a character in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte in German, 1791).
PelléasmTheatre, Arthurian Cycle (Gallicized) French form of Pelleas used by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck for a character in his play Pelléas and Mélisande (1893), which was later adapted by Claude Debussy into an opera (1902).
PersinettefLiterature, Theatre "Persinette" is a 1698 French fairy-tale by novelist Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force adapted from earlier 'Petrosinella' by Giambattista Basil and later adapted by the Grimms brothers to become 'Rapunzel'... [more]
Philidelf & mLiterature, Theatre Perhaps based on Philadelphia or Fidelis. It was used by John Dryden in his opera 'King Arthur; or, the British Worthy' (1691), where it belongs to an air spirit in the service of Merlin who saves Arthur from the evil schemes of Osmond, a Saxon sorcerer, and Grimbald, an enemy earth spirit.
PolinessomCarolingian Cycle, Literature, Theatre The first element of this name is derived from Greek πολύς (polys) meaning "many, much". The second element is derived from either Italian nesso meaning "connection, link, nexus" or from Greek νῆσος (nesos) meaning "island"... [more]
PollionemItalian, Theatre Italian form of Pollio. This name was used by Vincenzo Bellini and Felice Romani for the main masculine character in the opera 'Norma' (1831), based on Alexandre Soumet's play 'Norma, ou L'infanticide'.
RadamesmTheatre Radamès is a character, the captain of the guard, in the opera 'Aida' (1871). The setting of the opera is ancient Egypt, and the creators of the play likely invented the name to sound vaguely Egyptian by integrating Ra into the name.
RigolettomRomani From the title of the Versi opera 'Rigoletto'.
RisëfAmerican Variant of the original Norwegian name Rise to preserve the original pronunciation.... [more]
SânzianafRomanian, Romanian Mythology, Theatre Sânziana, also known as Iana Sânziana, is a fairy in Romanian mythology. Her name is a contraction of Romanian sfânt "holy" and zână "fairy" - but, according to Mircea Eliade, ultimately also influenced by the Latin phrase Sancta Diana "Holy Diana"... [more]
Sarankhökhööf & mMongolian From Mongolian саран (saran) meaning "moon" and хөхөө (khökhöö) meaning "cuckoo". ‘The Tale of the Moon Cuckoo’, or ‘Moon Cuckoo’, is a traditional Mongolian opera based on a Tibetan work of the same name.
SchwertleitefTheatre Transferred from the name of an early form of accolade. Schwertleite is the name of one of the valkyries in Richard Wagner's opera 'Die Walküre'.
SiegnotmGerman, Popular Culture Abbreviated, more modern form of Sigenot. In popular culture, this name is borne by a character from "Die Rose vom Liebesgarten", an opera by German composer Hans Pfitzner (1869-1949).
SimonnekefFlemish Diminutive of Simonne, as it contains the Dutch and Flemish diminutive suffix -ke.... [more]
SuzelfPortuguese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish, French, Theatre Suzel is the name of a main character in 'L'amico Fritz', an opera by Pietro Mascagni, premiered in 1891 from a libretto by P. Suardon (Nicola Daspuro, with additions by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti) based on the French novel 'L'ami Fritz' by Émile Erckmann and Pierre-Alexandre Chatrian.
TalfanmWelsh Talfan has its origins in the Welsh language and it is also used largely in Welsh. The meaning of Talfan is 'tall beacon'. Famous individuals with the name: Aneirin Talfan Davies OBE, (11 May 1909 – 14 July 1980) was a Welsh poet, broadcaster and literary critic... [more]
TcheliomTheatre Tchelio is a magician and the king's (and prince's) protector in "L'amour des trois oranges", a 1921 satirical French-language opera by Sergei Prokofiev.
TelairafTheatre The name was used by Jean-Phillippe Rameau in his 1737 opera 'Castor et Pollux'. It is used as the name of a Greek princess whom both Castor and Pollux are in love with.
ThornemEnglish Transferred use of the surname Thorne. Derived from the Old English word for "thorn." This was the name of a letter in the Old English alphabet, as well as the name of a character from the soap opera "The Bold and the Beautiful."
TugomirmCroatian, Serbian, Slovene Croatian and Slovenian form of the Old Slavic name Togomir, which is derived from Slavic togo "strong, mighty, potent" combined with Slavic mir "peace". Known bearers of this name were Croatian poet and storyteller Tugomir Alaupović (1870-1958) and Tugomir Franc (1932-1983), a Croatian opera singer.
TurandokhtfIranian (Rare), Literature Means "daughter of Turan", composed of Persian توران (Tūrān), a region of Central Asia that was part of the Persian Empire, allegedly meaning "land of Tur" (said to have been named for the legendary Persian prince Tur, a son of King Fereydoun who reigned around 750 BC), and دخت (dokht) "daughter".... [more]
TurandotfTheatre Derived from the Persian name Turandokht, meaning "daughter of Turan" (Turan being a region in Central Asia). This is the name of the title character in an opera by Giacomo Puccini... [more]
VespinafTheatre, Literature Meaning uncertain, it could be related to the Latin vesperum meaning "evening" or the Latin and Italian vespa meaning "wasp". Vespina is Queen Veremonda's maid in an Italian opera called "Veremonda, l'amazzone di Aragona" (with the English translation being "Veremonda, the Amazon of Aragon" also known as "Il Delio")... [more]
VesselinmBulgarian Variant spelling of Veselin, but in some cases it is also a variant transcription of the name. Known bearers of this name include the Bulgarian pianist Vesselin Stanev (b... [more]
VesselinafBulgarian Variant spelling of Veselina, but in some cases it is also a variant transcription of the name. A known bearer of this name is the Bulgarian opera singer Vesselina Kasarova (b... [more]
WellgundefTheatre The name is made up from the German word Welle "wave" and the name element gunda "battle".... [more]
WoglindefTheatre The name is made up from the poetic German word Woge "wave" and the name element lind "linden tree, lime; soft, flexible; shield (made of lime wood)".... [more]
XuramanfAzerbaijani Khanty word for "beautiful." Opera singer Xuraman Qasımova is a well-known bearer.
ZeleminafTheatre, Literature Meaning uncertain. Zelemina is the Queen of the Moors in an Italian opera called "Veremonda, l'amazzone di Aragona" (with the English translation being "Veremonda, the Amazon of Aragon" also known as "Il Delio").
ZelmirafTheatre, 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.
ZorahfTheatre Meaning uncertain; used very occasionally in Britain in the 20th century, probably because of the character by this name in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera Ruddigore, first performed in 1887; Zorah is the professional bridesmaid... [more]