These
names occur primarily in plays, musicals and operas. They are not
commonly given to real people.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Pulcinella m TheatrePossibly derived from a diminutive of Italian
pulcino "chick". This is the name of a character (male, despite the name form) that appeared in the commedia dell'arte in the 17th century.
Quisara f TheatreOrigin uncertain. This was used for the title character in John Fletcher's play 'The Island Princess' (written ca. 1619-1621): a princess of Tidore (an Islamic state in Indonesia) who vows to marry the man who frees her brother, the king, who has recently been captured by a local rival.
Radames m TheatreRadamès 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.
Rosencrantz m TheatreAnglicized form of the noble Danish surname
Rosenkrantz. Shakespeare used this name for a childhood friend of Hamlet in his play
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (1600).
Rosmina f TheatrePossibly a variant of
Rosmunda or
Romina. This name was used by Francesco Cavalli for a character in his opera
Giasone (1649).
Sânziana f Romanian, Romanian Mythology, TheatreSânziana, 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]
Schwertleite f TheatreTransferred 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'.
Setebos m TheatreSeen in Shakespeare's play 'The Tempest' (1611), in which Setebos is the god worshipped by Caliban and Sycorax.
Sganarelle m TheatrePossibly from Italian
sgannare "to disillusion" or derived from Italian
Zannarello, a diminutive of
Zanni. Molière used characters named Sganarelle in multiple plays, including his one-act comedy 'Sganarelle, or The Imaginary Cuckold' (1660).
Skimbleshanks m TheatreIt is the name of a principal cat in Andrew Lloyd Webber's
Cats. He is the Railway Cat.
Sphaerio m TheatreA character in 'Mostellaria', a play by the Roman author Plautus. Its name translates from Latin as "The Ghost (play)" (with the word fabula understood in the title). The play is believed to be an adaptation of a lost comedy of the Athenian poet Philemon called Phasma (the Ghost).
Suzel f Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish, French, TheatreSuzel 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.
Tamino m German (Rare), TheatreDescends from the Greek word
tamias which means "lord" or "master". There is a Tamino in Mozart's "The Magic Flute".
Tamora f TheatreThis name was used by Shakespeare for the evil queen of the Goths in his tragedy
Titus Andronicus (1593). Shakespeare's source for the play is unknown, but he may have based the name on
Tomyris... [
more]
Tchelio m TheatreTchelio 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.
Telaira f TheatreThe 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.
Thamos m Theatre, LiteratureThamos, King of Egypt (
Thamos, König in Ägypten in German) is a play by Tobias Philipp, baron von Gebler, for which, between 1773 and 1780, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote incidental music, K. 345/336a, of an operatic character.
Trinculo m TheatreThe name of King Alonso's jester in Shakespeare's play 'The Tempest' (1611).
Trisevgene f TheatreMeans "thrice noble" from Greek τρίς
(tris) "thrice, three times" and εὐγενής
(eugenes) "noble" (literally "well born"; compare
Eugene)... [
more]
Truvy f TheatreUsed by the American writer Robert Harling for a character in his play
Steel Magnolias (1987); the character, Truvy Jones, was played by Dolly Parton in the 1989 film adaptation. It is perhaps a variant of
Trudy, itself a diminutive of
Gertrude, or a transferred use of a surname.
Turandot f TheatreDerived 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]
Tyltyl m TheatreMeaning unknown. This is the name of a character from the 1908 play 'The Blue Bird' (French: 'L'Oiseau bleu') by Belgian playwright and poet Maurice Maeterlinck.
Vadius m TheatreMeaning unknown. It was used by Molière for a character in his play 'Les Femmes Savantes'.
Vespina f Theatre, LiteratureMeaning 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]
Violaine f French, TheatreInvented by Paul Claudel for his play
L'Annonce faite à Marie (1912), the first version of which was titled
La Jeune Fille Violaine (1892). It is often regarded as a variant of
Violante, though Claudel may have taken it from a French place name.
Voltemand m TheatreA character in 'Hamlet' by Shakespeare. Voltemand is sent together with
Cornelius as an ambassador to the King of Norway.
Woglinde f TheatreThe 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]
Xanthias m Ancient Greek, TheatreDerived 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.
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".
Zelemina f Theatre, LiteratureMeaning 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").
Zerbinette f TheatreFeminine name possibly invented by Molière for his play
Les Fourberies de Scapin.
Zorah f TheatreMeaning 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]