September

Bislama: septemba

Pitcairn-Norfolk: Septemba

Tok Pisin: Septemba

→ Bengali: সেপ্টেম্বর (śepṭembor)

→ Chichewa: Sepitembala

→ Dari: سپتمبر (septembar)

→ Hausa: Satumba

→ Hawaiian: Kepakemapa

→ Hindi: सितंबर (sitambar)

→ Malay: September

→ Maori: Hepetema

→ Marshallese: Jeptōm̧ba

→ Swahili: Septemba

→ Tokelauan: Hetema

→ Tongan: Sēpitema

From Middle English, from late Old English, from Old French septembre, Latin September (“seventh month”), from septem (“seven”), from Proto-Indo-European *septḿ̥ (“seven”); + Latin -ber, from -bris, an adjectival suffix; September was the seventh month in the Roman calendar.

For quotations using this term, see Citations:September.

(rare) A female or male given name transferred from the month name [in turn from English].


English

en-prop

English (countable and uncountable, plural Englishes)

English (surname)
English#Places in the United States

From Middle English Englisch, English, Inglis, from Old English Englisċ (“of the Angles; English”), from Engle (“the Angles”), a Germanic tribe + -isċ; equivalent to Engle + -ish. Compare West Frisian Ingelsk, Scots Inglis (older ynglis), Dutch Engels, Danish engelsk, Old French Englesche (whence French anglais), German englisch, Spanish inglés, all ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enǵʰ- (“narrow”) (compare Sanskrit अंहु (áṃhu, “narrow”), अंहस् (áṃhas, “anxiety, sin”), Latin angustus (“narrow”), Old Church Slavonic ѫзъкъ (ǫzŭkŭ, “narrow”)).

cog

A number of places in the United States:

An unincorporated community in Brazoria County, Texas.

Red River County
Red River County#English

An unincorporated community in Red River County, Texas.


Jordan

en-proper noun

Jordan (countable and uncountable, plural Jordans)

From Latin Iordanēs, from Ancient Greek Ἰορδάνης (Iordánēs), from Biblical Hebrew יַרְדֵּן (yardén, “Jordan (river)”). Doublet of Yarden.

der

I call him Jordan and it will do. He has no other name before or after. What was there to call him, fished as he was from the stinking Thames? A child can't be called Thames, no and not Nile either, for all his likeness to Moses. But I wanted to give him a river name, a name not bound to anything, just as the waters aren't bound to anything.

1989, Jeanette Winterson, Sexing the Cherry, Grove Press, published 1998, →ISBN, pages 3–4:

A male given name from Hebrew; in the Middle Ages given to children baptized with Jordan water brought by crusaders.

A female given name from Hebrew, of mid-20th century and later usage.


Sydney

en-proper noun

Sydney (countable and uncountable, plural Sydneys)

For the surname and given name, see Sidney. The cities in Australia and Canada are named after British politician Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney (1733–1800).

named-after

(countable) A unisex given name transferred from the surname.


一

From 始め (hajime, “beginning, first”), the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of verb 始める (hajimeru, “to begin something”).


Christian

en-proper noun

Christian (countable and uncountable, plural Christians)

/ˈkɹɪʃt͡ʃən/

/ˈkɹɪst͡ʃən/

From Middle English Cristien, from Old French chrestien, from Latin Chrīstiānus, from Ancient Greek Χρῑστιᾱνός (Khrīstiānós), from Χρῑστός (Khrīstós, “Christ, anointed [one]”) + Latin suffix -ānus. The older form is Christen. Doublet of cretin. By surface analysis, Christ + -ian.

A male given name from Ancient Greek found in England since the twelfth century.

A female given name from Ancient Greek of medieval usage, rare today.

An unincorporated community in Logan County, West Virginia, United States.


円

/maro/ → /maru/
Sound shift from maro above.


巴

巴 (canonical)
Tomoe (romanization)
Tomowe (romanization)
ともゑ (hiragana historical)

First attested around the 12th century.
Originally a compound of 鞆 (tomo, “archer's left-wrist protector”) + 絵 (e, “picture, drawing”).
The use of the 巴 kanji is possibly for its resemblance to a big snake.


恵

/kwei/ → /kei/ → /keː/
From Middle Chinese 惠 (MC hwejH).
The kan'on reading, so likely a later borrowing.


晋

*/t͡sin/ → /siɴ/ → /ɕiɴ/
From Middle Chinese 晉 (MC tsinH).


晋

Nominalization of the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of verb 進む (susumu, “to proceed”).


晋

Nominalization of 進む (susumu, “to proceed”).


江

江 (canonical)
Kō (romanization)
Kau (romanization)
かう (hiragana historical)

/kau/ → /kɔː/ → /koː/
From Middle Chinese 江 (MC kaewng).
The 漢音 (kan'on) reading, so likely a later borrowing.


江

ja-pos

江(ごう) • (Gō)


清

From classical adjective 清し (kiyoshi), modern 清い (kiyoi, “clear”).


理

chữ Hán form of Lý/Lí (“a unisex given name”).


皇

皇 (canonical)
Kō (romanization)
Kwau (romanization)
くわう (hiragana historical)

/kʷau/ → /kʷɔː/ → /kɔː/ → /koː/
From Middle Chinese 皇 (MC hwang).
The 漢音 (kan'on, literally “Han sound”) pronunciation, so likely a later borrowing from Middle Chinese.


皇

皇 (canonical)
Kimi (romanization)
皇 (canonical)
Kirari (romanization)
皇 (canonical)
Tadasu (romanization)
皇 (canonical)
Miyuki (romanization)


経

経 (canonical)
Kyō (romanization)
Kyau (romanization)
きやう (hiragana historical)

/kʲeu/ → /kjau/ → /kjɔː/ → /kjoː/
From Middle Chinese 經 (MC keng|kengH). The goon reading, so likely the initial borrowing.
The Buddhist senses are a translation of Sanskrit सूत्र (sūtra, literally “string, thread”) or Pali sutta (literally “string, thread”).


経

From Middle Chinese 經 (MC keng|kengH). The kan'on reading, so likely a later borrowing.


行

ja-pos

行(ぎょう) • (Gyō)

From Middle Chinese 行 (MC haeng). First cited in Buddhist texts of the early 600s.
The goon pronunciation, so likely an earlier borrowing.
* For the "formations" definition, translation of Sanskrit संस्कार (saṃskāra)
* For "austerities", translation of Sanskrit चर्या (caryā)
* For "walking", translation of Sanskrit गमन (gamana)


行

行(こう) • (Kō)

From Middle Chinese 行 (MC hang|haeng|hangH|haengH). First cited to 1275.
The kan'on pronunciation, so likely the later borrowing.


行

行(あきら) or 行(すすむ) or 行(とおる) or 行(まこと) • (Akira or Susumu or Tōru or Makoto)

行 (canonical)
行 (canonical)
行 (canonical)
行 (canonical)
Akira (romanization)
Susumu (romanization)
Tōru (romanization)
Makoto (romanization)


Paris

desctree

→ Arabic: بارِيس (bārīs), بَارِيز (bārīz) — dated, پَارِيس (pārīs) — rare
→ Afar: Baaríis
→ Somali: Baaríis

→ Hindi: पेरिस (peris)

→ Urdu: پَیرِس (pairis)
→ Punjabi: پَیرَس (pairas)

From Middle English Parys, Paris, from Old French Paris, from the Late Latin name of an earlier settlement, Lutetia Parisiorum (“Lutetia of the Parisii”), from Latin Parīsiī, a Gaulish tribe, from Transalpine Gaulish *parios (“cauldron”), from Proto-Celtic *kʷaryos, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷer-. Doublet of Parizh.

der

General American, Canada, Mary–marry–merry merger

A female given name transferred from the place name, of modern usage, usually from the French city.


London

en-proper noun

London (countable and uncountable, plural Londons)

→ Norwegian Bokmål: London

From Middle English London, from Old English Lunden, from Proto-Celtic via Latin Londinium – see for details. Doublet of Londinium.

Londens

of, from or pertaining to London in the UK

Sonja made me promise I would go to college. She said she'd wanted her daughter, Murphy, to go. She'd named her baby Murphy because it could never be a stripper name. But her daughter had changed her name to London.

2012, Louise Erdrich, The Round House, Corsair, published 2013, →ISBN, page 178:

(rare) A unisex given name transferred from the place name.


透

透 (canonical)
Tōru (romanization)
透 (canonical)
Sukeru (romanization)


長

From Old Japanese.
Probably derived from 就か (tsuka, irrealis form of verb 就く (tsuku), “to take a position”) + さ (-sa, “-ness”, suffix indicating state or degree).

com

irrealis form of verb <i class="Jpan mention" lang="ja">就く</i> (tsuku), “to take a position”


隆

ja-pos

隆(りゅう) • (Ryū)

隆 (canonical)
隆 (canonical)
Takashi (romanization)
Yutaka (romanization)
隆 (canonical)
Ryū (romanization)


鳥

⟨to₂ri⟩ → /tori/
From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *təri. Probably cognate with Middle Korean ᄃᆞᆰ (tolk), modern Korean 닭 (dak, “fowl; chicken”).


Daniel

From Middle English Daniel, Daniell, from Ancient Greek Δᾱνῑήλ (Dānīḗl), from Hebrew דָּנִיֵּאל (daniyél, literally “God is my judge”), name borne from the prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel.

der

"His name is Daniel Needham," my mother said. Whew! With what relief - down came my grandmother's hands! Needham was a fine old name, a founding fathers sort of name, a name you could trace back to the Massachusetts Bay Colony - if not exactly Gravesend itself. And Daniel was as Daniel as Daniel Webster, which was as good a name as a Wheelwright could wish for.
"But he's called Dan," my mother added, bringing a slight frown to my grandmother's countenance.

1989, John Irving, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Corgi Books, →ISBN, page 55:

A male given name from Hebrew in regular use since the Middle Ages.


Milan

Inherited from Middle English Milane, Melan, etc., from Old English Mæġelan, Megelan, Mediolanaburg, etc. under influence from early forms of French Milan, from Medieval Latin Mediolāna etc., from Latin Mediolānum, q.v. As American settlements, typically after the Italian city.


Milan

A male given name from the Slavic languages.


Jan

From Old French Jehan (“John”). Doublet of John.


Jan

A clipping or hypochoristic form of Janet, Janice, Janine, Janis, etc.
Doublet of Ivanka, Janelle, Janet, Janey, Janine, Jeanette, Jeanie, Jeannette, Jeannine, Jen, Jenna, Jenny, Jessie, Jo, Jody, Juanita, Shanae, Sinead, and Vanna.

doublet

"Yes, Mommy," answered Janice. Then she turned to her friend and asked, "Shall I wear my light chintz and kenton kerchief, or my purple and white striped Persian?" "Sufficiently smart for a country lass, Jan," cried her friend.

1899, Paul Leicester Ford, chapter 1, in Janice Meredith:

She's startled. How long has it been since he called her Jax instead of Janet or Jan? The last is a nickname she secretly hates. It makes her think of that syrupy-sweet actress on Lassie when she was a kid, the little boy (Timmy, his name was Timmy) always fell down a well or got bitten by a snake or trapped under a rock, and what kind of parents put a kid's life in the hands of a fucking collie?

2008, Stephen King, Just after Sunset, Simon and Schuster, published 2009, →ISBN, page 129:


Jan

From various European languages, ultimately from Latin Johannes.

A male given name, equivalent to English John


Montana

en-prop

Montana (countable and uncountable, plural Montanas)

From Latin montāna
* the US state via Spanish montaña (“mountain”)
* the surname from Spanish Montaña topographic surname

Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming

'Montana?' I said. 'You can't call a kid Montana'―these friends of mine were going to call their new baby girl Montana and I tried to talk them out of it, because I'm sick of Australians naming their kids after American placenames, I'm sick of all these Montanas and Delawares and Indianas and Dallases. […]

2002, Danny Katz, Dork Geek Jew, Allen & Unwin, published 2002, →ISBN, page 12:

A unisex given name transferred from the place name, specifically from the name of the U.S. state.


George

→ Arabic: جورج (jorj)

→ Cebuano: George

→ Cantonese: 佐治 (zo2 zi6)

→ Chinese: 喬治 /乔治 (Qiáozhì)

→ Hawaiian: Keoki

→ Japanese: ジョージ (Jōji)

→ Korean: 조지 (Joji)

→ Maori: Hōri
→ English: hori

→ Persian: جورج (jorj)

→ Swedish: George

Name of an early saint, from Middle English George, from Latin Geōrgius, from Ancient Greek Γεώργῐος (Geṓrgĭos), from γεωργός (geōrgós, “farmer, earth worker”), from γῆ (gê, “earth”) (combining form γεω- (geō-)) + ἔργον (érgon, “work”) Doublet of Jorge and Geevarghese.
The aircraft autopilot sense is probably from George DeBeeson, who patented an early (1931) autopilot system, and/or a reference to the expression let George do it. The Pullman porter sense derives from George Pullman, who hired Black people to staff his sleeping cars, and the patrons of the service seeing the Black people as servants of George Porter, much like how an enslaved person was named after the enslaver.

Our ancient word of courage faire saint George / Inspire vs with the spleene of fierie Dragons,

c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii], page 203:

George and Charles are unlucky in this respect; they have no diminutives, and what a mouthful of monosyllables they are! names royal too, and therefore unshortened. A king must be of a very rare class who could afford to be called by shorthand;

1830, Mary Russell Mitford, Our Village: Fourth Series: Cottage Names::

George... don't do that!


Joe

Short form (diminutive form) of various names beginning with Jo..., particularly the male names Joseph and, less often, Joel, Josiah and Josias. The spelling Jo is used more often for diminutives of similar female names.

"With a name like Joe," Joe always said, "I had to open a bar and grill, just so I could put up a sign saying 'Joe's Bar and Grill'."

1981 Orson Scott Card, Second Movement, Nebula Winners: Science Fiction Writers of America, Harper&Row, 1981, page 207

A diminutive of the male given names Joseph, Josiah, Joel, or Josias.

(rare) Alternative form of Jo: a diminutive of various female given names.


Bern

Abbreviations
* Clipping of Bernard.
* Clipping of Bernadette.
* Clipping of Bernice.

A diminutive of the male given name Bernard, variant of Bernie

A diminutive of the female given names Bernadette or Bernice, variant of Bernie


Devon

From Old English Defenas, which meant both "Devonians" and "Devon," exemplifying the common Anglo-Saxon practice of naming a place after the people who inhabit it.

Any of a number of places in US and Canada.

An unincorporated community in New Castle County, Delaware, United States.

New Castle County
New Castle County#English

An unincorporated community in Mingo County, West Virginia, United States.

"Is that his real name?" I asked, touching the corner of the picture. "Devil?"
"I named him Devon James Jordan, but my oldest―my girl Sheena―she had trouble saying Devon and it came out Devil, and that stuck […]"

2013, Diane Chamberlain, Necessary Lies, Pan Books, →ISBN, page 59:

A male given name transferred from the place name, or a variant of Devin.

A female given name transferred from the place name, of modern American usage.


Texas

Borrowed from Spanish Texas (also Tejas), from Hasinai Caddo táyshaʔ (“friend, ally”), used to refer to the Caddo nation.

American Samoa · Guam · Northern Mariana Islands · Puerto Rico · United States minor outlying islands · United States Virgin Islands


Ryan

Ryan (countable and uncountable, plural Ryans)

Bryan

linguistically unrelated but often confused in spoken English

The geneticist said Ryan had a rare genetic disorder called mucopolysaccharidosis I, or MPS I, with a wide-range of symptoms affecting multiple systems in the body.

2017 May 13, Ashley Strickland, “Warned he would die by age 10, he just graduated college”, in CNN:

A male given name transferred from the surname, popular in English-speaking countries from the 1970s to the 1990s.

رَيَّان ريان#Arabic

A male given name from Arabic رَيَّان (rayyān). Sometimes written and pronounced as Ryan in English due to the phonetic similarity with the Arabic name.

A female given name transferred from the surname, of 1970s and later usage.

A female given name of 1970s and later usage, variant of Rhian.


Sammy

A diminutive of the male given name Samuel.

A diminutive of the female given name Samantha.


David

en-proper noun

David (countable and uncountable, plural Davids)

From Middle English David, Davyd, Davyde, from Old English Dauid, David, from Latin David, Davidus, from Koine Greek Δαυίδ (Dauíd), Δαβίδ (Dabíd), borrowed from Biblical Hebrew דּוד (Dāwîḏ, literally “beloved”).

der

David Copperfield. Dwight David Eisenhower. Michelangelo's David. None of these Davids would seem the same if their names were Dave. David, with its final "d", sounds finished and complete, whereas Dave just kind of hangs there in the air, indefinitely.

1994, Caroline Knapp, The Merry Recluse: A Life in Essays, Counterpoint Press, published 2004, →ISBN, page 169:

Well, don't think I'll settle for so little, Mr. Talbot. Or should I call you David? I think you look like a David, you know, righteous and clean living and all of that.

2000, Anne Rice, Merrick, Ballantine Books, published 2001, →ISBN, page 157:

(rare) A female given name, often combined with a feminine middle name (e.g. David Ann).

A city, the capital of Chiriquí province, Panama.

A former unincorporated community in Mitchell County, Iowa, United States.

An unincorporated community and coal town in Floyd County, Kentucky, United States.


Kerry

* As an English surname, from a personal name derived from Old Norse Kári.
* As an Irish surname, from Ó Ciardha (“descendant of Ciardha”), from ciar (“black”).

A ticket of John Kerry and John Edwards with, effectively, four first names, would send the wrong message to the world. Also no candidate has ever been elected president, with a girl's name like "Kerry" for a "surname".

2004 The Bulletin, Australia, "Hustling Hustings", February 25, 2004

A surname from Middle English derived from the place name, or from the Middle English given name Kendrick.

Kerry O'Leary - for so was he called to distinguish him from those of the name in the adjoining county - soon made his appearance in the court-yard beneath.

1845, Charles James Lever, The O' Donoghue: A Tale of Ireland Fifty Years Ago, W. Curry, published 1845, page 26:

A male given name transferred from the surname or place name.

A female given name transferred from the surname or place name, originally of Australian usage, also spelled Keri, Kerri and Kerrie.


Cory

On another poster are the names of the new class — unusual names (at least to me) like Wen Qi, Elijah, Yoav, Noni, Koray, Cai Ying and Julissa, along with more common names like Cory, Betty, Tammy, Jordan, Jeffrey, and Andrew.

2005, Robert L. Fried, The Game of School, Jossey-bass, →ISBN, page 42:

A male given name transferred from the surname, variant of Corey.

A female given name transferred from the surname, variant of Cori, masculine equivalent Corey.

Corazon "Cory" Aquino, the widow of the martyred Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., emerged as the person around whom all the oppositionists could coalesce.

1991, Clark D. Neher, Southeast Asia in the New International Era, Westview Press, →ISBN, page 58:

I went to high school with a girl named Corrine, though, and everyone called her Cory —

1998, Robyn Amos, Into the Night, →ISBN, page 61:

A diminutive of the female given names Cora or Corinne and similar sounding names.

(Philippines) A diminutive of the female given name Corazón, from Spanish.


Dana

Johnie had become a "problem" for the advisers and "baby deans" in University Hall: men with marvelously Puritan names like Dana Cotton and Christopher Wadsworth called him in and asked what the trouble was.

1971, J. Anthony Lukas, Don't Shoot — We Are Your Children, Random House, →ISBN, page 419:

Currently serving his sixth term in Congress, Dana Rohrabacher represents California's scenic 45th Congressional District.

When Dana White barreled up to the microphone, at Donald Trump’s request, to say his piece on election night, it represented confirmation of the UFC CEO’s status as one of the key members of the president-elect’s inner circle.

2024 November 16, Aaron Timms, “How UFC head Dana White became the glue between Maga and the manosphere”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

(chiefly US) A unisex given name transferred from the surname, originally given in honor of Richard Henry Dana Jr.

دانا دانا#Persian

A unisex given name from Persian, borrowed from Persian دانا (dânâ), meaning “wise”.


Andy

"Irina? Call me 'Andy,' please."
"I think that I would rather call you 'Andrew'."
This was flattering, somehow. For everyone I knew called me "Andy"―a name comfortable as an old sneaker. There was dignity in "Andrew," and a kind of depth, complexity. Perhaps I began to fall in love with Irina Kacinzk for seeing more in me than I saw in myself at the time.
Of course, from time to time, Irina has called me "Andy." In her most affectionate moments, when she feels comfortable in my love, she even calles me "dear"―"darling."

2015, Joyce Carol Oates, Jack of Spades, Head of Zeus, →ISBN, page 104:

But Andy and Ben, they are lovers, not fighters … and they are going the battered sav.

2016 September 11, Emily Power, “Main bathroom reveals on The Block: hold on for the bathroom without a toot”, in Domain News:

A diminutive of the male given name Andrew, from Ancient Greek.

安迪

pet form of Andrew or its equivalent in the language concerned


Andy

A diminutive of the female given name Andrea, from Ancient Greek.


Andy

Andy Milonakis
Ice Poseidon
Know Your Meme
Twitch (service)

Originates from the live streams of IRL streamer Ice Poseidon on the live streaming service Twitch in early 2017; comedian and actor Andy Milonakis frequently appeared on Ice Poseidon's streams before being supplemented by one Andy Martin, who was given the byname "Mexican Andy" to distinguish him from Milonakis—himself dubbed "Sitting Andy" in June. Subsequently, Ice Poseidon and his audience began referring to people who appeared on his streams by the name Andy and the term spread to other channels on Twitch by late 2017 as a generic name for any Twitch streamer.

trump is now a react andy like myself

dream stans pulling out the "he has adhd" card to hasan fucking piker the biggest adhd andy on twitch it's so funny

Why is this video going viral? 500k views almost on my Twitch channel 😂It's not even funny Oh hello LSF andy's 👋

(Internet slang, Twitch-speak) A streamer on live streaming service Twitch.


Orion

From Middle English Orioun, from Latin Ōrīōn, from Ancient Greek Ὠρίων (Ōríōn), speculatively from Akkadian 𒌋𒊒𒀭𒈾 (Uru-anna, “heaven's light”), though without any firm evidence.

In Madge's judgment, her Uncle Orion had suffered most of his life from the name he'd been given, requiring that people ask him to repeat it and boys his own age make fun of it.

1980, Wright Morris, Plains Song, for Female Voices, Harper&Row, →ISBN, page 113:

A male given name from Ancient Greek of modern usage.

An unincorporated community in Pike County, Alabama, United States, also known as Prospect Ridge.


Alex

Short form of Alexander, from Ancient Greek Ἀλέξανδρος (Aléxandros) 'he who wards off men', i.e. protector, possibly of Hittite origin. Also from Alexius, from the same Ancient Greek first element, "helping, defending". These two origins of Alex are indistinguishable in most languages. The female name has the same root, shortened from Alexandra or the female name Alexis, in some cases also a spelling variant of Alix.

Martin was pretty dull as names went but 'Alex Blake' had a certain dash to it. His publishers hadn't considered Martin's own name to be 'punchy' enough. The pseudonym Alex Blake was chosen after much deliberation, most of which excluded Martin. 'A strong, no-nonsense sort of name', his editor said, 'to compensate'. For what, she didn't say.

2006, Kate Atkinson, One Good Turn, Black Swan, published 2007, →ISBN, page 81:

'I had a Christmas card from someone calling herself Alex the year before last,' Daniel said. 'I couldn't think who it was.'
'Oh, yes, she's changed again,' Alice said. 'I never got used to Alexandra, either. It never occurred to me that Sandra was short for Alexandra - anyway, she's Sandra on her birth certificate.'

2008, Philip Hensher, The Northern Clemency, HarperCollins, →ISBN, page 588:


Jess

A diminutive of the male given name Jesse.


Tony

The statuettes awarded by the American Theatre Wing are formally known as “Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre”; they are named for Antoinette Perry (1888–1946), an actress, director, producer and co-founder of the American Theatre Wing, who was nicknamed Tony.

A male given name, a short form of Anthony/Antony

A surname transferred from the given name


Tory

From Irish tóraí (“pursuer”), from tóir (“pursuit”). The first recorded use in English is from a 1646 letter by James Butler ("Earl of Ormond") to a Colonel O' Brien, describing bandits and thieves on main roadways.

(US, historical) A Union sympathizer in the Confederate States during the American Civil War.


Tory

Short for Victoria when used as a female name, and for Victor or Salvatore when used as a male name.


Anne

From French Anne (“Ann”), from Late Latin Anna chiefly in reference to St Anne the apocryphal mother of Mary mother of Jesus but appearing in the Vulgate in reference to Anna the Prophetess, from Koine Greek Ἄννα (Ánna) in the New Testament, from Hebrew חַנָּה (Ḥanâ, “Hannah”), from חַנָּה (ḥanâ, “grace, gracious, graced with child”). Occasionally reborrowed from languages who adopted the name from English. Very infrequently from Estonian abbreviation of Anna instead. Doublet of Ann, Ana, Anna, and Hannah. Compare John.

Immortal God, that savedest Susanne / From false blame; and thou merciful maid, / Mary I mean, the daughter to Saint Anne, /Before whose child the angels sing Osanne,

1380s-1390s, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales: The Man of Law's Prologue and Tale

"What do you think they are going to name the baby? Anne; after her and her mamma. So very ugly a name!"
"I don't think so," said Mr Carlyle. "It is simple and unpretending. I like it much. Look at the long, pretentious names in our family - Archibald! Cornelia! And yours, too - Barbara! What a mouthful they all are!"

1860, Mrs Henry Wood (Ellen Wood), East Lynne, Kessinger Publishing, published 2004, →ISBN, page 29:

"But if you call me Anne please call me Anne spelled with an e."
"What difference does it make how it's spelled?" asked Marilla with another rusty smile as she picked up the teapot.
"Oh, it makes such a difference. It looks so much nicer. When you hear a name pronounced can't you always see it in your mind, just as if it was printed out? I can, and A-n-n looks dreadful, but A-n-n-e looks so much more distinguished."

1908, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of the Green Gables:


Anne

A shortened form of any of various Germanic masculine names which began with arn (eagle), such as Arnold.

(very rare) A male given name from the Germanic languages, of mainly French and Frisian usage, see Anne Robert Jacques Turgot


Anne

LL-Q150 (fra)-Amqui-Petite rivière Sainte-Anne.wav


Mecca

From Arabic مَكَّة (Makka) of uncertain etymology. In American place names, in reference to the Arabian city.

Mrs. Mecca Marie Varney and son are successful lecturers and debaters on various topics of current interest, such as suffrage, etc. Her home is in Paw Paw, Mich. Her lectures are managed by her husband, Charles E. Varney.

1912, The Arrow of Pi Beta Phi, page 107:

Just then, a young boy—named Mecca, as we learned later—arrived at the scene with the flight attendants who had been escorting him to his parents. In the midst of the frantic feeding of the protein bar, Mecca quietly announced:

2020, Born This Way Foundation reporters, Lady Gaga, Channel Kindness: Stories of Kindness and Community, Feiwel & Friends, →ISBN:

(uncommon) A unisex given name, mostly borne by women.


Shaun

A variant of Sean, from Irish Seán, from Old French Jehan, from Latin Johannes, variant of Ioannes, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yōḥānān, literally “God is gracious”).
Doublet of John, Jack, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Jean, Ian, Evan, Ivan, Sean, Shawn, Shane, and Giovanni as a male name.
Doublet of Ivana, Jana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shauna, and Sheena as a female name.


Shawn

A variant of Sean, from Irish Seán, from Old French Jehan, from Latin Jōhannēs, variant of Iōannēs, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (yōḥānān, yokhanán, literally “God is gracious”). Doublet of Evan, Giovanni, Ian, Ivan, Jack, Jean, Johan, Johann, Johannes, John, Juan, Sean, Shane, and Shaun as a male name. Doublet of Ivana, Jana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena as a female name.

doublet

Two weeks later Dot and her girl, who was finally named Shawn, like most girls born that year, came back to work at the scales.

1984, Louise Erdrich, Love Medicine, Bantam Books, published 1987, →ISBN, page 169:

Or take Sean, S-E-A-N. Been spelled like that for about five hundred years. But not them, they've gotta spell it S-H-A-W-N. Like they have a right to that name in the first place.

1996, Tobias Wolff, The Night in Question: Stories, Alfred A. Knopf, →ISBN, page 141:

(chiefly US) Alternative form of Shaun, a unisex given name.


Bri

A diminutive of the female given name Brianna, or Bridget, or Britney, or, rarely, Britannia or Sabrina.

A diminutive of the male given name Brian.


Cecil

From Latin Caecilius, a Roman family name derived from caecus (“blind”). The surname has absorbed the Old Welsh Seisyllt, from Latin Sextilius, from Sextus.

A unisex given name from Latin.
A male given name from Latin.

A unisex given name from Latin.
A female given name from Latin.

John Sumner always called him "Sissy" but other kids called him Cecil or See-sal or Weasil. He didn't mind anything except "Sissy". Every time he heard it he saw red.

1968, Ivan Southall, Let the Balloon Go, Methuen, page 91:


Dee

Dee
River Dee (Ireland)
River Dee, Aberdeenshire
River Dee, Cumbria
River Dee, Wales

His daughter was called Deirdre, a good Irish name, but now she signed herself Dee, and her man friend was called Fox.

1996, Maeve Binchy, This Year It Will Be Different: A Christmas Treasury, Hachette UK, published 2008, →ISBN:

A unisex given name, short for names beginning with D.


Tara

Borrowed from Irish Teamhrach, genitive of Teamhair, from Old Irish Temair (literally “high place”). The female given name is derived from the name of the plantation in Gone with the Wind, named for the place in Ireland.

der

A female given name transferred from the place name, of 20th century and later usage.

the story of Tara Cochrane, a war veteran, a physician, and a burned-out man who describes himself in terms of a bad cigarette

1952, Janice Holt Giles, Tara's Healing:

Some other places named Tara, all likely after the Irish hill:

An unincorporated community in Manatee County, Florida, United States.

A township in Swift County, Minnesota, United States.

A township in Traverse County, Minnesota.


Zion

Zion
Zion (Latter Day Saints)
Zion (disambiguation)#Places

Inherited from Old English, from Ecclesiastical Latin Sion, from Hebrew ציון (tsiyón).

(poetic reference to) Jerusalem city proper; or more strictly speaking, the Temple Mount.

Mount of myrrh

as a special landmark of 'perfume' importance; Analogous to the very special power of prayer that rises specifically from this locale. In accordance with Jewish Midrashic literature


Arizona

zh-l

亞利桑那／亚利桑那 (Yàlìsāngnà)

亞里桑那 (Yàlǐsāngnà)

Chinese: 亞利桑那／亚利桑那 (Yàlìsāngnà), 亞里桑那 (Yàlǐsāngnà)

/ˌæɹɪˈzoʊnə/

/ˌɛɹɪˈzoʊnə/

/ˌæɹɪˈzəʊnə/

Uncertain. Possibly from O'odham alĭ ṣonak (literally “small spring”) (traditionally through the Spanish intermediary form Arizonac; compare modern Arizona), a name initially applied to an area around a silver-mining camp in Sonora.
Alternatively, perhaps from Basque haritz ona (literally “good oak”), as the area many Basque herders, and a descendant of them established the ranchería of Arizona (circa 1735) in Sonora.
Suggestions of derivation from arizuma, supposedly a Nahuatl word meaning "silver-bearing", are considered implausible, and derivation from Spanish árida zona (literally “dry zone”) is considered a folk etymology.


Jerry

An unincorporated community in Asotin County, Washington, United States; named for early rancher Jerry McGuire.


Andrea

Latinate feminine form of Andreas and Andrew.

There's not much you can do with a name like Andrea. "Call me And." I don't think so. "Call me Andy." You say that and people will start calling you Handy Andy, and before you know it, you'll be getting phones calls from people wanting you to come and get their drain unstopped. So I've been forced to have people call me Andrea, which sounds like a girl who takes ballet and is learning to play the cello.

2003, Jack Weyland, Everyone Gets Married in the End, Cedar Fort,, →ISBN, page 157:


Andrea

head

Andrea m or f by sense (Cyrillic spelling Андреа)

Андреа (Cyrillic)
Andrea (nominative singular)
Andree (nominative plural)
Andree (genitive singular)
Andrea (genitive plural)
Andrei (dative singular)
Andreama (dative plural)
Andreu (accusative singular)
Andree (accusative plural)
Andreo (singular vocative)
Andree (plural vocative)
Andrei (locative singular)
Andreama (locative plural)
Andreom (instrumental singular)
Andreama (instrumental plural)

Derived from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓νδρείᾱ (ăndreíā), male name from Italian influence.


Indiana

en-proper noun

Indiana (countable and uncountable, plural Indianas)

From indian + -a. From “Indiana Territory” dating from 1800, noting the territory's large Native American Indian population. From indian territory.

Haldimand County
Haldimand County#English

A ghost town in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada.

A borough, the county seat of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States.

(rare) A unisex given name
(rare) A male given name

(rare) A unisex given name
(rare) A female given name


Sami

Derived from Arabic سَامِي (sāmī), from the informal pronunciation of سَامٍ (sāmin, “high, exalted”).

A male given name from Arabic, feminine equivalent Samiyah.


Casey

Casey (countable and uncountable, plural Caseys)

Anglicisation of an Irish surname Ó Cathasaigh (“descendant of (a person named) Watchful”).

A male given name transferred from the surname.

Casey Anthony was sentenced on Thursday to a four-year jail term, the maximum possible, for lying to the police, but will be freed this month because she has spent nearly three years behind bars in Orlando, Fla., awaiting trial.

A female given name transferred from the surname.

A minor city in Adair County and Guthrie County, Iowa, United States.

A town in Washburn County, Wisconsin, United States.


まこと

From Old Japanese. Originally from 真 (ma-, “truth”) + こと (koto, “thing”).
First appears in the Nihon Shoki of 720 CE in sense 2.


Charlie

→ Translingual: Charlie

Heaven only knows why a man with a strong biblical name like James wants to be a president named Jimmy. I'm certain that if he were called Charles, he wouldn't fool around that way. Charles is not so bad, but Charlie is a terrible burden to bear.

1979 Charles Kuralt, Dateline America, Harcourt Brace Jovanocich, page 184

A diminutive of the male given name Charles; also used as a formal given name.

Ча́рли

diminutive of Charles or its translations in other languages

'Can I call you Charlotte?'
'No. I hate the name, makes me sound like a Victorian aunt. I'm Charlie, and no, you can't call me that either.'

2007, Sophie Hannah, Hurting Distance, Hodder & Stoughton, →ISBN, page 225:

A diminutive of the female given name Charlotte or Charlene, also used as a formal given name, although less common than the male name.

Karo

diminutive of Charlotte or Charlene or its translations in other languages


Addison

Addison (countable and uncountable, plural Addisons)

A patronymic surname from a medieval diminutive form of Adam + -son.

A surname transferred from the given name.

My name is Addison Jane Dawson, but you can call me Addy; everyone else does. I was named after my great grandfather, Addison Jay Dawson, - - -

2009, J. Scott Romig, The Lookout Tree, Author House, →ISBN, page 1:

A female given name transferred from the surname popular in the 2000s, following Alison and Madison.

A town in Vermont, United States, named after the poet Joseph Addison.

Synonym of Webster Springs, West Virginia; this is actually the official name, after landowner Addison McLaughlin.

Webster Springs

A number of townships in the United States, listed under Addison Township.


Lauren

"I don't like my name," said Delphine. "Nobody likes their own name."
"I don't like mine."
"Lauren's nice. They picked a nice name for you."

2004, Alice Munro, “Trespasses”, in Runaway:Stories, Knopf, page 214:

A female given name from Latin, masculine equivalent Laurence; feminine of Lawrence

A male given name from Latin, of rare usage, variant of Laurence.


Louis

→ Bengali: লুইস (luiś)

→ Hawaiian: Lui

→ Maori: Ruihi, Rewi

→ Persian: لوئیس (lu'is)

From French Louis, from Middle French Loïs, Loïc, &c., from Old French Looïs, Luis, Lodhuvigs, Lodevis, Lodhwig, &c., from Latin Ludovicus, from Clodovicus, from Frankish *Hlūdawīg, from Proto-Germanic *hlūdaz (“loud; famous”) + *wīgą (“battle”).
Doublet of Lewis and, more remotely, Aloysius, Luis, Ludwig, Luigi, and Clovis.
Remotely related to Slav and related terms through the Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- (“to hear, be heard; famous”) root.

der

'It is hardly a week since you called me your future husband, and treated me as such; now I am once more the tutor for you: I am addressed as Mr. Moore, and Sir; your lips have forgotten Louis.'
 "'No, Louis, no: it is an easy, liquid name; not soon forgotten.'

1849, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], “Written in the Schoolroom”, in Shirley. A Tale. […], volume III, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, page 295:


Noel

* (names): From Noel in the sense of Christmas; given since Middle Ages to children born at Christmastide.
* (city in Missouri): Named for brothers Clark Wallace and William Jasper Noel, stockmen and owners of a sawmill.
* (community of Nova Scotia, Canada): Named after its most prominent resident, Noël Doiron.

When Noel came, noisily bursting through the back door with buckets of cleansers and sponges, I introduced myself. "Just call me Noelle," he said of himself. "When I was little they used to call me Noel, Noel, the toilet bowl. Although now I have thought of painting that on the side of my van. It might be good for business? I don't know."

2009, Lorrie Moore, A Gate at the Stairs, Faber and Faber, →ISBN, page 162:


Judy

"Punch," said Judy,
"You're looking moody."
"Judy," said Punch,
"I want my lunch."

I've never met an old person named Judy. Now that's true. Maybe something happens to girls with young names like Debby, Judy, and Susie. At a certain age they make you change it to Doris, Edna, or Myrtle.

1989, Judy Carter, Stand-up Comedy: A Book, Dell Publ., →ISBN, page 35:

A diminutive of the female given name Judith, also used as a formal female given name.


Francis

From Medieval Latin Franciscus (“French(man)”) (from Francia (“France”), originally a nickname of Saint Francis of Assisi. Doublet of Francisco and Franz.

bor

(used only as equivalent to French François) Francés

Francis is one of the pleasantest names in use. It has a fine open air with it, - a sound correspondent to its sense.

1820 February 9, Leigh Hunt, “Names”, in The Indicator, number XVIII:

Francis had never been 'Frank' or 'Fran', he had always been called by his full name. It had lent him a certain dignity that he had possibly never earned.

2006, Kate Atkinson, One Good Turn, Black Swan, published 2007, →ISBN, page 454:

(rare) A female given name from Latin, Alternative spelling of Frances.

A ghost town in Wheeler County, Nebraska, United States.

A town in Summit County, Utah, United States.


Lynn

A male given name transferred from the surname, usually used as a middle name.

A female given name transferred from the surname, popular as a middle name.

A female given name, variant of Lyn, popular as a middle name.


Tommy

A diminutive of the male given name Thomas.

(uncommon relative to the male given name) A diminutive of the female given name Thomasina.


Tommy

Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll

And every night now he played pontoon, that game of the Tommies, with Mrs Bolton, gambling with sixpences.

1928, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, chapter XV, in Lady Chatterley’s Lover, [Germany?]: Privately printed, →OCLC:

Meanwhile the Tommies had discovered several large tins of ham in the captured lorry. 'That,' said the big Nazi, 'is for our tea.' 'No,' said a Tommy sergeant-major. 'That's for our tea. For you, chummy, we've kept a nice bit of bull.'

1949, Stephen Peter Llewellyn, Journey Towards Christmas, page 142:

He liked the Germans better than he did the French; but for all that, if he went down the back streets of a night, it was with three or four British Tommies, in case the Jerries weren't as friendly as they made out.

1974, GB Edwards, The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, New York, published 2007, page 129:

(colloquial) Ellipsis of Tommy Atkins; a typical private in the British army; a British soldier.


Irusha

A female given name from Hebrew, a form of Jerusha.

A male given name, a common Sri Lankan name that dates back to 2000 B.C.E..


Sam

A diminutive of the male given name Samuel, or rarely of Samson. Also used as a formal given name.

A diminutive of the female given name Samantha.

A Trans-New Guinea language of Papua New Guinea.


Sam

(UK, informal) Synonym of Dicky Sam (“a man from Liverpool”)


Steve

Shortening of various names ultimately derived from Latin Stephanus m, from Ancient Greek Στέφανος m (Stéphanos) from στέφανος m (stéphanos, “crown, wreath”)

His first name was probably Steve or Ed. No, there were no more Steves or Eds in New York. They were now Steven or Edward, whether they were gay or straight. If they had money, they didn't have a nickname. Everybody was into high seriousness, so that now even dogs were named Humphrey and Raphael.

1989, Ann Beattie, Picturing Will, Random House, →ISBN, page 67:

A diminutive of the male given name Steven and Stephen; also used as a formal male given name.

Allison made a careful note of the address and within the hour she had met, decided she liked, and moved in with a girl of twenty who called herself Steve Wallace.
"Don't call me Stephanie", Steve had said. "I don't know why it should, but being called Stephanie always makes me feel like something pale and dull out of Jane Austen."

1956, Grace Metalious, Peyton Place, UPNE, published 1999, →ISBN, Book Three, Chapter 13:

A diminutive of the female given name Stephanie.


Taylor

"I wanted to call her Taylor, but my husband said no," Sweetie was telling one of the Christmas party guests.
"Taylor means a tailor," I said. "It seems inauspicious. Like calling her Cobbler."
"That's a kind of drink," said Nani.

2001, Paul Theroux, Hotel Honolulu, page 206:

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.


Taylor

a unisex given name from English, of modern usage


Archie

→ Scottish Gaelic: Eairdsidh


Adrian

From Latin Hadrianus (“from the Roman harbor Hadria”) a place name ultimately from Etruscan 𐌇𐌀𐌕𐌓𐌉𐌀 (hatria). Doublet of Hadrian. See Adria.

der

Which, of he, or Adrian, for a good wager, / Firſt begins to crow ?

1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:

"My only worth will be in always remembering to do the thing that pleases you; and yet, although I don't really like Adie, it has a more home-like, more whisperable sound than Adrian. Adrian is a grand, heroic sort of a name, yet what a beautiful name it is.

1874, Bertha de Jongh, The Sisters Lawless, by the author of Rosa Noel, page 245:

His baptismal register spoke of him pessimistically as John Henry, but he had left that behind with the other maladies of infancy, and his friends knew him under the front-name of Adrian.

I'm afraid neither of us was looking where we were going. We Adrians are notoriously abstracted, are we not?

1991 September, Stephen Fry, chapter 2, in The Liar, London: Heinemann, →ISBN, section I, page 40:

A male given name from Latin or Etruscan.

(rare) A female given name from Latin (compare Adriana, Adrianna, Adrienne).

A number of places in the United States:

A city in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States.


Misha

A transliteration of the Russian Ми́ша (Míša), a hypocoristic for Михаи́л (Mixaíl), the Russian equivalent of Michael, from Hebrew מיכאל.
Also a female name, presumably analogous to Michelle.


Reilly

From Irish Ó Raghallaigh, a surname meaning "descendants of Raghallach".

A unisex given name transferred from the surname, of modern usage.


Cheyenne

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Cheyenne.wav

Borrowed from French Cheyenne, from Dakota šahíyena, from Dakota šaia (“to speak incoherently”), from Dakota ša (“red”) and Dakota ya (“to speak”).

A female or male given name of modern American usage.


Shirley

English place name from Old English sċīr (“county”) + lēah (“meadow”). Equivalent to shire + -ley (“lea”). More at shire, leigh.

Shirley Blythe was with Una Meredith and both were rather silent because such was their nature. Shirley was a lad of sixteen, sedate, sensible, thoughtful, full of a quiet humour.

1921, Lucy Maud Montgomery, chapter 2, in Rilla of Ingleside:

(rare) A male given name transferred from the surname.

Shirley Keeldar (she had no christian name but Shirley: her parents, who had wished to have a son, finding that, after eight years of marriage, Providence had granted them only a daughter, bestowed on her the same masculine family cognomen they would have bestowed on a boy, if with a boy they had been blessed)—[…]

1849, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], “Fieldhead”, in Shirley. A Tale. […], volume I, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, pages 294–295:

"Why a girl like you should be named Shirley is beyond me. You haven't a ruffle or a furbelow anywhere in your nature." "Is that meant for an insult?" she asked, flushing angrily. "No, it's just that it's incongruous. You are the 'give us this day our daily bread' sort of person. Shirley is party stuff."

1951, Alice Tisdale Hobart, The Serpent-Wreathed Staff, Bobbs-Merrill, page 50:

A female given name transferred from the surname. Popular from the 1920s to the 1950s.


Kelly

en-proper noun

Kelly (countable and uncountable, plural Kellies)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Mélange a trois-Kelly.wav

A unisex given name transferred from the surname

On the walls of the salon are blown-up photos of models with dazzling teeth and ingeniously tousled hair - women with names like Kelly and Dawn, who come from tiny towns in Texas and Washington, who are tall and thin, and who don't appear to be burdened by any pasts to speak of.

1986, Daphne Merkin, chapter 1986, in Enchantment, Harcourt Brace Jovanovi, →ISBN, page 207:

A female given name transferred from the surname, popular from the 1960s to the 1990s.


Claude

Borrowed from Latin Claudius m, Claudia f.

a male given name from Latin, equivalent to English Claude

a diminutive of the female given name Claudette, from Latin, equivalent to English Claudia; variant forms Claudie, Claudine, Claudia


Shane

Anglicized form of the Northern Irish pronunciation of Irish Seán, from Old French Jehan, from Latin Johannes, variant of Ioannes, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָן (Yōḥānān, literally “God is gracious”).
Doublet of John, Jack, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Jean, Ian, Evan, Ivan, Sean, Shaun, and Giovanni as a male name.
Doublet of Ivana, Jana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena as a female name.

doublet

Back in ancient Hollywood history, there was an extremely well-known movie titled Shane. It was a classic western in which the late Alan Ladd played the title role. The most famous scene is the last one in the film, when Shane is riding off into the sunset and the little kid is chasing after him yelling, "Shane, come back, Shane!"

2010, L.L.Steinmetz - W.T.Brooks, How to Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitor, John Wiley&Sons, →ISBN:


Allison

en-prop

Allison (countable and uncountable, plural Allisons)

From a Middle English diminutive form of Alan, Alexander or Alice + -son.

"Allison?" Surely that was a girl's name.
"It's after Davey Allison, the race car driver. He got killed right before the baby was born. Tracy and me wanted to honor his memory." It was a precise little speech. She must have explained the name many times.

1994, Sharyn McCrumb, She Walks These Hills, Scribner's, →ISBN, page 81:

(countable) A male given name transferred from the surname, of mostly before 1950 usage.

Allison MacKenzie's father, for whom the child had been named, died when she was three years old.

1956, Grace Metalious, Peyton Place, UPNE, published 1999, →ISBN, Book One, Chapter 4:

(countable) A female given name from the Germanic languages, of 1940s and later usage, variant of Alison.

Westmorland County
Westmorland County#English

A community in Moncton Parish, Westmorland County, New Brunswick, Canada.

An unincorporated community in La Plata County, Colorado.

An unincorporated community in Nodaway County, Missouri.


Brooklyn

→⇒ Latin: brooklynensis

/ˈbɹʷʊk.ɫɪn/

[ˈbɹ̠ʷʊ̠kɫ̪ɪ̈n]

From Dutch Breukelen, from broek (“wetland, marsh”).

A unisex given name transferred from the place name, of modern usage.


Opal

A unisex given name from English from the precious stone, invented in the nineteenth century.

A female given name from English from the precious stone, invented in the nineteenth century.

(rare) A male given name from English from the precious stone, invented in the nineteenth century.

Perhaps to console herself for the bad luck she had already suffered, in a back corner of South Sherbrooke Township - or perhaps to make up, ahead of time, for a lack of motherly feelings - she gave the girls the fanciest names she could think of: Opal Violet, Dawn Rose, and Bonnie Hope.

1985, Alice Munro, The Progress of Love, Chatto&Windus, published 1987, →ISBN, page 208:


Abbey

A diminutive of the female given name Abigail, from Hebrew.

A diminutive of the male given name Albert, from the Germanic languages.

A hamlet in Dunkeswell parish, East Devon district, Devon, England, probably named for the local abbey (OS grid ref ST1410).

A small village south-east of Tuam, County Galway, Ireland (Irish grid ref M 5043).

A village west of Portumna, County Galway (Irish grid ref M 7305).

A village in the Rural Municipality of Miry Creek, Saskatchewan, Canada, named after a farm in Ireland.

Western Australia
Western Australia#English

A suburb of Busselton, Western Australia, named after landholder D. Abbey.


Abby

"I spose you want to be a cattleboy," drawled the multicolored beard whose name was Carrol Day, a curiously feminine name, thought Martin, not yet acquaintanced with the bearded Marions, Fannys and Abbys of Texas who, saddled by their unthinking mothers with dainty names, built savagely masculine frames of character.

2002, Annie Proulx, That Old Ace in the Hole, →ISBN, page 81:

A diminutive of the female given name Abigail, from Hebrew, also used as a formal given name.


Adel

Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *aþalaz. The female name is a rare variant of Adele. The surname is borrowed from German Adel.

(rare) A female given name from the Germanic languages, variant of Adele.

Pushmataha County
Pushmataha County#English

An unincorporated community in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, United States.


Adel

Variant of Adil, from Arabic عَادِل (ʕādil).


Ali

From Arabic عَلِيّ (ʕaliyy, literally “high, exalted”), from the Arabic root ع ل ي (ʕ l y).

ar-root

ع ل ي (ʕ l y)


Ali

A diminutive of the female given name Alison or of its variants.

A diminutive of the male given name Alistair or of its variants.


Alta

"I'm thinkin', Marthy Ann, that as Altie's " ( she had been named Alta, for her mother ) - "close onto twelve year old, ye might be spared ter go off home- - -

1870 Mary Mapes Dodge: St. Nicholas:A Monthly Magazine for Boys and Girls: page 725 (Little Menan Light)

A female given name from Latin possibly from Latin alta (“high”), fairly common in the United States in the nineteenth century.

census-designated place
census-designated place

A census-designated place in Placer County, California, United States.


Angel

"What is your first name, Mr Botibol? What does the A stand for?" "Angel," he answered. "Not Angel." "Yes," he said irritably. "Angel Botibol," she murmured and she began to giggle. But she checked herself and said, "I think it's a most unusual and distinguished name."

1973, Roald Dahl, More Tales of the Unexpected: Mr Botibol:

A male given name from Latin Angelus [in turn from Ancient Greek], used since 16th century; or an anglicized spelling of Ángel.

A female given name from English of modern usage from the English noun angel.


Ash

en-proper noun

Ash (countable and uncountable, plural Ashes)

Ash (deity)
Ash (disambiguation)#Places
Ash (name)

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.

A diminutive of the unisex given names Ashley or Ashleigh.


August

Bislama: ogis

Jamaican Creole: Augos, Aagos

Pitcairn-Norfolk: orgas

Tok Pisin: ogas

→ Burmese: ဩဂုတ် (au:gut)

→ Chichewa: Ogasiti

desctree

→ Dari: اگست (ogast), اکست (akast)
→? Urdu: اگست (agast)

→ Hausa: Agusta

→ Hawaiian: ʻAukake

→ Hindi: अगस्त (agast)

→ Malay: Ogos

→ Maori: Ākuhata

→ Marshallese: O̧kwōj

→ Pohnpeian: Ahkos

→ Swahili: Agosti

→ Tokelauan: Aukuho

→ Tongan: ʻAokosi

Early Middle English August(us), re-Latinized from Old English Agustus, from Late Latin Agustus, from Latin augustus (“month of August”), from the agnomen Augustus (“venerable”) of Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus, possibly from either Old Latin *augos (“increase”), from Proto-Italic *augos, from Proto-Indo-European base *h₂ewg- (“to increase”); or Latin avis (“bird”), referring to divination by observing bird flights, singing, feeding or entrails + garrīre (“to chatter”).

August, Charis named her, because that's when she was born. Warm breezes, baby powder, languorous heat, the smell of mown hay. Such a soft name. Too soft for her daughter, who has added an a. Augusta, she is now — a very different resonance. Marble statues, Roman noses, tight-lipped commanding mouths.

1993, Margaret Atwood, Robber Bride, Virago Press, published 2013, →ISBN, page 48:

A female given name from English derived from the month (rare modern usage).


August

In some cases a month name from English. In other cases inspired by the common German given name August, from Latin Augustus.

Thirteen year old August is the eldest; he begins to pull the kite downward. Like his sister and brother, June and July, he has been named after the month in which he was born.

1974, Witi Ihimaera, Whanau, Heinemann, page 76:

San Joaquin County
San Joaquin County#English

A census-designated place in San Joaquin County, California, United States.


Ay

Ay (nominative singular)
Aylar (nominative plural)
Ay'ı (accusative singular)
Ayları (accusative plural)
Ay'a (dative singular)
Aylara (dative plural)
Ay'da (locative singular)
Aylarda (locative plural)
Ay'dan (ablative singular)
Aylardan (ablative plural)
Ay'ın (genitive singular)
Ayların (genitive plural)
Ay'ım (first-person singular)
Aylarım (first-person singular)
Ay'larım (first-person singular)
Ay'ın (second-person singular)
Ayların (second-person singular)
Ay'ların (second-person singular)
Ay'ı (singular third-person)
Ayları (singular third-person)
Ay'ları (singular third-person)
Ay'ımız (first-person plural)
Aylarımız (first-person plural)
Ay'larımız (first-person plural)
Ay'ınız (plural second-person)
Aylarınız (plural second-person)
Ay'larınız (plural second-person)
Ay'ı (plural third-person)
Ayları (plural third-person)
Ay'ları (plural third-person)


Ayọ

a unisex given name meaning “joy”, it is a shortened form or nickname for much longer names, ex. Ayọ̀ọ́délé


Bailey

A male given name transferred from the surname.

(chiefly US) A female given name transferred from the surname.

Sherburne County
Sherburne County#English

A number of places in the United States:

An unincorporated community in Sherburne County, Minnesota.


Benny

en-noun

Benny (countable and uncountable, plural Bennys or Bennies)

This special version of eggs Benedict will win the hearts of all the Benny fans out there.

This would definitely be a Becca-approved Benedict, which sings high praise. The girl knows her Bennys.

2014 June 17, Ally, “Chalk Point Kitchen Brunch”, in Bitches who Brunch, archived from the original on 2019-07-27:


Beryl

A unisex given name from English derived from the gem beryl.

A female given name from English derived from the gem beryl.

(rare) A male given name from English derived from the gem beryl.


Bliss

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Bliss.wav

"Mother doesn't seem to especially like her little granddaughter as it is, even named 'Edna Louise'. D'you think she's going to like her better, named 'Bliss' like some sexpot pop star or some Indian-mystic asshole-charlatan?"
Betsey winced. "Bliss" was a beautiful name!

2008, Joyce Carol Oates, My Sister, My Love, HarperCollins, →ISBN, page 97:

(rare) A unisex given name from English.


Blue

From the German surname, Americanized from Blau or its French cognate Bleu.

(rare) A female given name from English, typically used in conjoined names like Bonnie Blue or Blue Bell.


Bobby

A diminutive of the female given name Roberta.


Brett

Related to Breton, Brittany, and more distantly Briton.


Brook

Audio (US)

* As an English surname, from the noun brook.
* As a north German surname, from Low German Brook (“swamp, marsh”), related to the above.
* As a Dutch surname, Americanized from Broek, from broek, also related to the above.
* As a Jewish and German surname, Americanized from Bruck, Bruch (from Bruch (“wetland, marsh”)).

A male given name transferred from the surname, variant of Brooks.

A female given name transferred from the surname, of modern usage, variant of Brooke.

A village and civil parish in Ashford borough, Kent (OS grid ref TR0644).


Carol

Shortened from Caroline. Associated by folk etymology with the English noun carol.

Carol is fifteen years old and I'm sixteen. Her name is really Caroline, but she hates it and wants to be called Carol - it's so much prettier.

1873, Mary Mapes Dodge, St. Nicholas: A Monthly Magazine for Boys and Girls, page 179:

"Holly, would you mind if I named my little girl 'Holly'? I mean, it's right around Christmas time, and I always think of holly with Christmas. I like the name Carol, too, like Christmas carol. I heard once that the name Carol means 'song of joy'".

2006, Joyce Winters, Let Your Light Shine, →ISBN, page 209:

A female given name from the Germanic languages, popular in the middle of the 20th century.


Carol

Shortened from Latin Carolus; also an Anglicization of Romanian Carol, or Polish or Slovak Karol, all cognates of the English Charles.

This table shows the curious fact that little Prince Carol of Roumania (who is at once the great-grandson and the third cousin of Queen Victoria) has a better hereditary right to the British Throne than Her Majesty.

1899, The English Illustrated Magazine, MacMillan and Co., item notes V.21, page 295

What splendid names for boys there are!
There's Carol like a rolling car […]

1933, Eleanor Farjeon, Over the Garden Wall: Boys' Names:

A male given name from the Germanic languages.


Chase

en-proper noun

Chase (countable and uncountable, plural Chases)

en:Chase
en:Chase (surname)
en:Chase#Places

A unisex given name transferred from the surname, of modern usage.


Claire

Borrowed from French Claire, also a spelling variant of the English Clare.

"I told you I was called ,or that they called me Claire. Were you not surprised when you saw my name as Clarissa Lambert?"
"Is that all?" I cried. "Why of course, I knew how common it is for actresses to take another name. I was even glad of it; for the name I know, your own name, is now a secret, and all the sweeter so. All the world admires Clarissa Lambert, but I alone love Claire Luttrell, and know that Claire Luttrell loves me."

1887, Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch, Dead Man's Rock., BiblioBazaar,LLC, published 2007, →ISBN, page 198:

A woman named Claire should be able to describe the moon. Clair de Lune was of course one of Claire's favourite pieces of piano music.

2006, Wendy Harmer, Farewell My Ovaries, Allen&Unwin, →ISBN, page 93:

When we arrived in Hangchow, all the pilots were honored at a big banquet given by that famous American general with a lady's name, Claire Chennault.

1991, Amy Tan, The Kitchen God's Wife, Ivy Books, →ISBN, page 203:

A male given name transferred from the surname, of rare usage, variant of Clare.


Cocoa

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Cocoa.wav


Dada

* The given name (Sense 1) is believed to be derived from the name of the divinity (Sense 2)

a kò gbọ́dọ̀ gé irun-un Dàda láìṣe-ètùtù; bí a bá ṣe bẹ́ẹ̀, ọmọ yìí yóò kú

We must not cut the hair of Dada without doing the proper rites, if we do not do so, the child will die

orúkọ àmútọ̀runwá
orukọ amutọrunwa#Yoruba

a unisex given name, an orúkọ àmútọ̀runwá given to a child born with long curly hair or locks


Dale

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.

A male given name transferred from the surname.

A female given name transferred from the surname.


Dom

A unisex given name, a form of Dominic or Dominique.


Drew

On Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on “The Drew Barrymore Show,” and in a lighthearted moment, explained — as she did during the last presidential election cycle — that in her blended family, her stepchildren affectionately call her Momala.

2024 May 1, Charles M. Blow, “Kamala Harris Isn’t Americans’ ‘Momala.’ She’s Our Vice President.”, in The New York Times:

A diminutive of the male given name Andrew


Drew

From Anglo-Norman Drew, Drieu, Drue, from Old French Drogon, Dreus, Drues (made popular by Charlemagne's son Drogo) from Old Dutch Drogo, of uncertain ultimate origin. Possibly from Proto-West Germanic *dragan (“to carry, pull”), or from Proto-Germanic *draugaz (“phantom, apparition”).

der

A male given name from the Germanic languages


Drew

Sunflower County
Sunflower County#English

A city in Sunflower County, Mississippi, named after Miss Drew Daniel.

An unincorporated community in Laclede County, Missouri, named after S. E. Drew.

Wellington County
Wellington County#English

A rural community in Wellington County, Ontario, Canada, named after George Alexander Drew (Liberal-Conservative MP).


Earl

"Of course Gladys and Eleanor, having graced the last generation of heroines and being at present in their social prime, will be passed on to the next generation of shopgirls -"
"Displacing Ella and Stella," interrupted Dick.
"And Pearl and Jewel,", Gloria added cordially, " and Earl and Elmer and Minnie."

1922, F[rancis] Scott Fitzgerald, The Beautiful and Damned, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, (please specify |book=1, 2, or 3):

- - - in a world of mandatory diminutives, a corporation of jolly Bills and Jacks and Herbs and Teds in which an unabbreviable given name like Earl must have been a minor handicap, "Oat" was the best that could be done for a man with the given name of Otis.

1961, Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road, Vintage Contemporaries, published 2000, →ISBN, page 74:

(chiefly US) A male given name from English from the English noun earl.

Las Animas County
Las Animas County#English

A number of places in the United States:

An unincorporated community in Las Animas County, Colorado.

An unincorporated community in Callaway County, Missouri.

Cleveland County
Cleveland County#English

A town in Cleveland County, North Carolina.

An unincorporated community in Springbrook, Washburn County, Wisconsin.


Erin

Anglicisation of Irish Éirinn (dative singular and dialectal nominative singular of Éire (“Ireland”)).

bor

dative singular and dialectal nominative singular of <i class="Latn mention" lang="ga">Éire</i> (“Ireland”)

Erin (disambiguation)
Thomas Buchanan Read

Alternative forms: Eryn, Arin, Eireann

A female or male given name, in use since the mid-20th century, used in honor of Ireland.


Gage

en-proper noun

Gage (countable and uncountable, plural Gages)

An occupational surname from Middle English gage, guage (“measure”) for an assayer, or gage (“pledge”) for a moneylender.

A male given name transferred from the surname, of modern usage.

An unincorporated community in Ballard County, Kentucky.

A ghost town in Luna County, New Mexico.

A town in Ellis County, Oklahoma, named after Lyman J. Gage.

An unincorporated community in Barbour County, West Virginia.


Gay

A female given name from English, from the word gay (“joyful”); rare today.

A male given name transferred from the surname

- - - my father's father, Gaetano Talese (whose name I inherited after my birth in 1932, in the anglicized form "Gay"), was an atypically fearless traveler,

1992, Gay Talese, Unto the Sons, Ballantine Books, published 1993, →ISBN, page 15:

A diminutive of the male given names Gaylord or Gabriel, and similar names

"Mr Gay Brawls. What a name."
"It didn't use to mean what it means now. Plenty were named Gay. Even in Nevada. Was old Gay Pitch had a gas station in Winnemucca. Nobody thought nothin about it and he raised a railroad car of kids.

2004, Annie Proulx, Bad Dirt, Fourth Estate, →ISBN, page 32:

A unisex given name from English
A male given name from English


Genie

A male given name Diminutive of Eugene and pet form of Gene

A female given name Diminutive of Eugenie and Eugenia


Gill

* As an English surname, converged from variants of Giles (sometimes through Dutch), Julian, and William.
* As a northern English surname, from Middle English gil (“ravine, glen”), from Old Norse gil. The Old Norse is also a source of the Norwegian surname.
* As an Irish and Scottish Gaelic surname, variant of McGill.
* Also as an Irish surname, variant of Gall.
* As a Jewish/Israeli surname, from Hebrew גיל (“joy”).
* As a German surname, variant of Gilger.
* As an Indian/Sikh/Punjabi surname, from ਗਿੱਲ (gill, “moisture”).

A diminutive of the male given names Giles, Julian, or William, of medieval usage.

each Jack with his Gill

1621 August 13 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), Ben Jonson, “The Masque of the Gypsies”, in Q. Horatius Flaccus: His Art of Poetry. […], London: […] J[ohn] Okes, for John Benson […], published 1640, →OCLC:

A diminutive of the female given name Gillian, variant of Jill.

An unincorporated community in Weld County, Colorado; named for early landowner William H. Gill.


Griffin

A male given name from Welsh derived from Griffinus, a latinized form of Gruffudd.

A male given name from Cornish derived from Gryffyn, of relation to the Welsh name.


Holly

Breakfast at Tiffany's
Holly (disambiguation)
Holly (name)

* As an Irish surname, calque of mac cuilinn (“holly”) (see McCullen) and sometimes McQuillan.
* As an English surname, variant of Holley.
* As a Czech and Slovak surname, variant of Holý, Holy.
* Also as a locational English surname, from Old English hol leah (“wood, clearing, meadow”), compare Hollywood.
* Also as an English surname, short form of Holiday.
* Also as an English surname, after the holly tree.
* As a feminine given name popularized by Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's (especially the 1961 film adaptation starring Audrey Hepburn).

Grandma said, "I used to know a little girl called Holly - she always had her dresses trimmed with red or green." Milly-Molly-Mandy thought that was quite a nice name.

1929, Joyce Lankester Brisley, chapter 8, in More of Milly-Molly-Mandy:

"Holly, would you mind if I named my little girl 'Holly'? I mean, it's right around Christmas time, and I always think of holly with Christmas.

A male given name transferred from the surname.

A town in Prowers County, Colorado, named after cattleman Hiram S. Holly.

A township and village therein, in Oakland County, Michigan.

An unincorporated community in Kitsap County, Washington, named for a large holly tree.

An unincorporated community in Kanawha County, West Virginia.


Hope

Hope (usually uncountable, plural Hopes)

Nadine f (from Nadia (pet form from Надежда) + -ine)

A female given name from English from the virtue, like Faith and Charity first used by Puritans.


Hyacinth

From Latin Hyacinthus, a saint's name from the name of an Ancient Greek Ὑάκινθος (Huákinthos), a mythological character .

(rare) A male given name from Ancient Greek.

A female given name from English. One of the less common flower names used since the 19th century.


Ira

From a Hebrew name עִירָא ('ira), from a word meaning "watchful".

So is Ira Gershwin something to do with the more famous George Gershwin? Caroline says.
She was his wife, wasn't she? Jen says coming in with plates balanced on her arm.
He was his brother, Mark says. It comes into his head how much Faye loved songs. He had quite forgotten how much.
It does sound like a girl's name, though, doesn't it? Caroline is saying.
There's no way I'd ever call a daughter that, Hannah says.

2011, Ali Smith, There but for the, Hamish Hamilton, →ISBN, pages 140–141:

A male given name from Hebrew, mostly of American usage.

An unincorporated community in Laclede County, Missouri.

An unincorporated community in Scurry County, Texas.


Ira

From the Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian and Czech diminutive of the cognates of Irene.

A female given name from the Slavic languages


Ivy

From ivy, the name of a plant. An ivy branch used to be hung outside an establishment to advertise that it sold alcohol, so it may originally been an occupationational surname for the proprietor of such an establishment.

A female given name from English; popular in the UK in the beginning of the 20th century.

Ivy Andrews, Ivy Calvin, Ivy Lee

A unisex given name from English.
(rare) A male given name from English.

A unisex given name from English.
A male given name from English.

Little Ivy's life, as the months pass on, is a quiet, uneventful one, but exceedingly happy withal: - - - "You have a strange name, my dear," the old lady says one day, and the child answers in her serious, old-fashioned way, "Yes, so everyone has always said. You know my mamma died when I was born, and papa named me that because he said that I came when his heart was all aching with sorrow, and twined around it and comforted him."

1882 Something to Read. (Edited by) Edwin John Bret: Something to read novelette. page 254

Kind people apply all the milder words to your face; only Father ever called it ugly. Ugly Ivy mingy as her name. Father himself was handsome and drunken. Mother had wanted 'Ivy' simple and yet pretty and for once stuck to her guns. You wished she hadn't.

1974, Patrick White, The Cockatoos: Shorter Novels and Stories., Cape, →ISBN, page 204:


Jack

Jack (countable and uncountable, plural Jacks)

→ Danish: Jack

→ Swedish: Jack

From Middle English Jackin, Jankin, a popular pet form of John; rarely also an anglicized form of French Jacques (equivalent of Jacob and James). It can be also used as nickname for Jacob. Though the name was originally a pet form, it has become more of an independent name. Equivalent to John + -kin, Jake or Jacques. See also Middle French Hennequin, Jannequin and Middle Dutch Janneken.

Since every Jack became a gentleman
there's many a gentle person made a Jack.

c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:

Heere comes leane Iacke, heere comes bare-bone. How now my ſweet Creature of Bombaſt, how long is't agoe, Iacke, ſince thou ſaw'ſt thine owne Knee?

c. 1597, William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, with the Life and Death of Henry, Sirnamed Hot-spvrre”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies, London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, act II, scene iv, page 58, column 1:

JACK. Well, really, Gwendolen, I must say that I think that there are lots of other much nicer names. I think Jack, for instance, a charming name.
GWENDOLEN. Jack?...No, there is very little music in the name Jack, if any at all, indeed. It does not thrill. It produces absolutely no vibrations...I have known several Jacks, and they all, without exception, were more than usually plain. Besides, Jack is a notorious domesticity for John!

1895, Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest […] , [Act I]:

A unisex given name, also used as a pet form of John or more rarely, Jacob.


Jas

A diminutive of the male given name James

A diminutive of the female given name Jasmine


Jazz

A fanciful spelling variant of Jaz and Jas.

His real name was James, but those who knew him seemed never to call him that. He was Jamesy, or more often Jazz.

2001, Ian Rankin, Resurrection Men, Orion, page 4:

A diminutive of the male given name James.

"He calls you Jazzikins." He would. He had. Couldn't call me Jazz or Jasmine the way everyone else did.

2012? Madeleine Oh, At Long Last, in The Mammoth Book of Erotica: Volume 4, Constable and Robinson Ltd (2012)

A diminutive of the female given name Jasmine.


Jean

Variant of Jeanne, from French Jeanne, from Old French Jehane, from Medieval Latin Johanna, variant of Latin Ioanna under influence from Latin Iōhannēs, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννα (Iōánna), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָה (Yôḥānāh, literally “God is gracious”), the feminized form of יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān). Doublet of Ivana, Jana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena.
The unincorporated community in Nevada, originally named Goodsprings Junction, was renamed Jean on 28 June 1905 by postmaster George Arthur Fayle in honor of his wife.

doublet

There's not a bonnie flower that springs
By fountain, shaw, or green,
There's not a bonnie bird that sings
But minds me o' my Jean.

1788, Robert Burns, Of A' the Airts the Wind Can Blaw:

Isn't Jean a pretty name?"
"Not bad; but why don't you call her Miss Muir?"
"She begged me not. She hates it, and loves to be called Jean, alone."

1866, Louisa May Alcott, chapter II, in Behind a Mask, or a Woman's Power:

He was trying to think of her name; she had come to cook him dinner twice last spring. Jean, maybe. Or Betty. One of these plain names.

1972, Anne Tyler, The Clock Winder, Knopf, page 67:


Jean

From French Jean, from Old French Jehan, from Latin Iōhannēs, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννης (Iōánnēs), from Hebrew יוחנן (Yôḥānān, literally “God is gracious”). Doublet of John, Jack, Johan, Johann, Johannes, Sean, Shaun, Shane, Ian, Evan, Ivan, Juan, and Giovanni.


Jewel

Jewel he called her; and he would say this as he might have said ‘Jane,’ don’t you know, with a marital, homelike, peaceful effect. I heard the name for the first time ten minutes after I had landed in his courtyard, when, after nearly shaking my arm off, he darted up the steps and began to make a joyous, boyish disturbance at the door under the heavy eaves. ‘Jewel! O! Jewel. Quick! Here’s a friend come,’ …

1899 September – 1900 July, Joseph Conrad, chapter XXVIII, in Lord Jim: A Tale, Edinburgh, London: William Blackwood and Sons, published 1900, →OCLC, pages 297–298:

"Of course Gladys and Eleanor, having graced the last generation of heroines and being at present in their social prime, will be passed on to the next generation of shopgirls——" / "Displacing Ella and Stella," interrupted Dick. / "And Pearl and Jewel,", Gloria added cordially, "and Earl and Elmer and Minnie." / "And then I'll come along," remarked Dick, "and picking up the obsolete name, Jewel, I'll attach it to some quaint and attractive character and it'll start its career all over again."

1922, F[rancis] Scott Fitzgerald, “Portrait of a Siren”, in The Beautiful and Damned, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, book 1, pages 58–59:

A female given name from English from the noun jewel, used since the end of the 19th century.

A male given name from English, a variant of Jewell, or from "jewel" like the female name.


Jo

Clipping or hypochoristic form of various female given names beginning with Jo..., primarily Joan, Joanna, etc. but also Josephine and Jolene.
Doublet of Ivanka, Jan, Janelle, Janet, Janey, Janine, Jeanette, Jeanie, Jeannette, Jeannine, Jen, Jenna, Jenny, Jessie, Jody, Juanita, Shanae, Sinead, and Vanna in reference to the first derivation.

"Its name is Samantha Jo, after Josiah and me. You know they call girls Jo and Josie a sight lately; its name is agreeable to Josiah and me, very.

1888, Marietta Holley, Josiah Allen's Wife as a P.A. and P.I.: Samantha at the Centennial, page 577:


Jo

a unisex given name, a pet name diminutive of Joanne, Joanna, Josée, José, Joseph, etc.


Joey

A diminutive of the male given names Joe or Joseph

A diminutive of the female given name Josephine


Kai

Taken into regular use in the 1990s, with earlier popularity peaks in Scandinavia and Germany. The medieval Danish Kaj is possibly of Roman origin, Latinized as Caius, like the rare medieval English male given name Kay. The German Kai may also derive from a West Frisian pet form of Gerard, Cornelius, Nicholas, or Kampe "warrior". In the U.S. Kai has also been explained as Hawaiian kai (“sea”).

A male given name from the Germanic languages, of modern usage.

(rare) A female given name of modern usage.


Kan

Borrowed from Japanese 菅 (Kan) or かん (Kan).


Kay

A male given name from Welsh derived from the surnames, or from a rare medieval given name (as the Sir Kay of Arthurian legend), Welsh Cai, Latinized as Caius, related to the modern male name Kai.


Kim

Clipping of Kimball and Kimberley as a male name, and of Kimberley and Kimberly as a female name.

The half-caste woman who looked after him (she smoked opium, and pretended to keep a second-hand furniture shop by the square where the cheap cabs wait) told the missionaries that she was Kim’s mother’s sister; but his mother had been nursemaid in a colonel's family and had married Kimball O’Hara, a young color-sergeant of the Mavericks, an Irish regiment.

1900 December – 1901 October, Rudyard Kipling, chapter I, in Kim (Macmillan’s Colonial Library; no. 414), London: Macmillan and Co., published 1901, →OCLC, page 1:

Kim McCone ― (name of an Irish linguist)

A male given name transferred from the surname.

Bizarre as was the name she bore, Kim Ravenal always said she was thankful it had been no worse. […] It is no secret that the absurd monosyllable which comprises her given name is made up of the first letters of three states — Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri — in all of which she was, incredibly enough, born.

1926, Edna Ferber, Show Boat, Doubleday, Page & Co, page 1:

It will take some getting used to, a husband named Kim. She has known girls named Kim since she was a squirt in a sunsuit. Quite a few really. Kimberleys and plain Kims.

1991, Don DeLillo, Mao II, Viking, →ISBN, page 16:

A female given name transferred from the surname, of 1940s and later usage.


Lane

As an English surname, from lane; as an Irish surname, from several origins, including Laighin. See Lane.

A number of places in the United States:

An unincorporated community in Kootenai County, Idaho.

A census-designated place in Atoka County, Oklahoma.

Williamsburg County
Williamsburg County#English

A town in Williamsburg County, South Carolina.


Lark

A male given name transferred from the surname, of occasional usage.

Mama had chosen the name Lark. Lark Browning Erhardt. Papa had wanted to call me Beverly Mary; Mary after the Blessed Virgin. Mama said she wouldn't hang a name like Beverly Mary on a pet skunk. Where she got the idea for Lark, I don't know, though one time when I asked, she said that larks flew high and had a happy song.

1989, Faith Sullivan, The Cape Ann, Penguin, published 1989, →ISBN, page 2:

A female given name from English from the lark bird.


Lee

en-proper noun

Lee (countable and uncountable, plural Lees)

From Old English lēa, the dative case of lēah (“meadow”), originally to denote someone who lived near a meadow.

A male given name derived from the surname, masculine of Leigh

“Nora?” She frowned, puzzled.
“My name's Leonora,” I said. “At school I was Lee, but now I prefer Nora. I did mention it in the e-mail.”
I'd always hated being Lee. It was a boy's name, a name that lent itself to teasing and rhyme.

2016, Ruth Ware, In a Dark, Dark Wood, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 21:

A female given name popular in conjoined names such as Lee Ann or Mary Lee.


Lee

A nickname for various given names with the first syllable as Lee; Clipping of Leo, Leroy.


Les

A diminutive of the male given names Lester or Leslie.

A diminutive of the female given name Leslie.


Logan

From Scottish Gaelic lag (“little hollow”).

A female given name transferred from the surname, of 1990s and later usage; much less common than the male name.


Love

Love (countable and uncountable, plural Loves)

An unincorporated community in Butler County, Kentucky.


Lulu

From Arabic لُؤْلُؤ (luʔluʔ, literally “pearl”).

bor

A female given name from Arabic, equivalent to English Pearl


Lupe

a diminutive of the unisex given name Guadalupe


Merle

Merle Haggard is a name out of a morality play. And that's the kind of songs he sings.

1968 May 3, Al Aronowitz, “New Country Twang Hits Town”, in Life Magazine, page 12:

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Merle

English 19th-century bird name from merle (“blackbird”), possibly also a variant of Muriel, Merrill, etc.

Her name was Merle, and to her name she always said she owed the fact that Gilbert Vanborough ever looked at her.

1887, Emily Frances Adeline Sergeant, Jacob's Wife, page 92:

"I wish I had a name like Merle Oberon or Miriam Hopkins," Mary Agnes said dreamily as she scanned the display of Coming Attractions.

1976, From These Hills, From These Valleys: Pennsylvania Writers' Collection, University of Pittsburgh Press, →ISBN, page 186:


Merry

'Is he handsome, Pa?' inquired the younger daughter.
'Silly Merry!' said the eldest: Merry being fond for Mercy. 'What is the premium, Pa? tell us that.'

1842 December – 1844 July, Charles Dickens, chapter 2, in The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1844, →OCLC:

It was on account of she had such a happy temperament I persuaded Mr. van der Most to let me call her Merry. Lots of folks, when they first meet her, they think she's called Mary - Maria, as you would say it, Signor Lumaca - but no, her name is really Merry, M-E-double-R-Y, because, I always tell them, she is.

1964 Brigid Brophy, The Waste Disposal Unit, Best Short Plays of the World Theatre 1958-1967, page 50

A female given name from English from the adjective, also a diminutive of Mercy.

A diminutive of the male given name Meredith.


Mies

de-proper noun

Mies m or f (proper noun, surname, masculine genitive Mies' or (with an article) Mies, feminine genitive Mies, plural Mies or Miesens)

Mies' (genitive masculine)
Mies (genitive masculine)
Mies (feminine genitive)
Mies (plural)
Miesens (plural)


Mike

en-proper noun

Mike (countable and uncountable, plural Mikes)

→ Hebrew: מייק (maik)

(countable) A diminutive of the male given name Michael.

(countable) A diminutive of the female given name Michaela.


Mons

A diminutive of the female given name Monica

A diminutive of the male given name Montgomery


Morgan

en-prop

Morgan (countable and uncountable, plural Morgans)

A male or female given name from Old Welsh Morcant, possibly from *mor (“sea”) (Welsh môr) or *mọr (“great”) (Old Welsh maur) + *kantos (“circle”) (Welsh cant), meaning “great chief” or “sea chief”.

A male given name from Irish, an adopted anglicization of Murchadh (Murrough).


Niki

Νίκη Νίκη#Greek

A transliteration of the Greek female given name Νίκη (Níki).


Olive

Medieval form of the Latin saint's name Oliva "olive"; revived in the 19th century when flower and plant names became fashionable. The surname is topographical, often representing an Anglicization of continental European surnames such as Spanish Oliva.

And hear me swear a solemn oath, / That only by thy side / Will I to Olive plight my troth, / And gain her for my bride.

"Elspie, I have a thought! The baby shall be christened Olive!"
"It's a strange, heathen name, Mrs. Rothesay."
"Not at all. Listen how I chanced to think of it. This very morning, just before you came to waken me, I had such a queer, delicious dream. [ - - - ] Then I looked up, after awhile, and saw standing at the foot of the bed a little angel—a child-angel—with a green olive-branch in its hand. [ - - - ] "

1850, Dinah Craik, Olive, Chapman and Hall, page 26:

There was Olive, a soft drowsy girl who didn't like me because I called her Olive Oyl. Even after I was made to apologize she didn't like me.

2006, Alice Munro, The View from Castle Rock, Chatto & Windus, →ISBN, pages 227–228:

Powder River County
Powder River County#English

A number of places in the United States:

An unincorporated community in Powder River County, Montana.

A town in Ulster County, New York, from the bible story of dove and olive branch.

An unincorporated community in Creek County, Oklahoma, from the girl's name.

Spotsylvania County
Spotsylvania County#English

An unincorporated community in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.


Page

en-proper noun

Page (countable and uncountable, plural Pages)

(rare) A male given name transferred from the surname.

Alternative form of Paige; A female given name.


Pat

A diminutive of the female given name Patricia.

A diminutive of the male given name Patrick.


Pat

I'll do it, sir, by the honor of the Pats, just take your two good looking selves into the garden, […]

1868, Irish Assurance and Yankee Modesty, page 18:

The stereotypes of the Irish were more negative. Irish men, the “Pats,” were seen as “always drunk, eternally fighting, lazy, and shiftless.”

2015, David Wagner, Miracle Worker and the Transcendentalist, page 28:

(slang, possibly offensive) An Irish person.


Pearl

Pearl (countable and uncountable, plural Pearls)

From pearl.
* (river in China): From Chinese 珠江 (Zhūjiāng, Zyu1 Gong1, “Pearl River”); calque of Chinese 珠 (zhū, zyu1, “pearl”).
* (haven in Hawaii): From Hawaiian Wai Momi (“pearl water”); calque of Hawaiian momi (“pearl”).

calque

A unisex given name from English.
A female given name from English.

A unisex given name from English.
A male given name from English.

Her Pearl!—For so had Hester called her; not as a name expressive of her aspect, which had nothing of the calm, white, unimpassioned lustre that would be indicated by the comparison. But she named the infant "Pearl," as being of great price,—purchased with all she had,—her mother's only treasure!

1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Chapter VI”, in The Scarlet Letter, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC:

"What was your name?"
"Pearl." Ruby and Pearl, mother and daughter. "It's an ugly name, isn't it?"
"No, it isn't". And I meant it, it wasn't. "Old-fashioned, perhaps, but nice."
She stared at me. "Do you know what pearls are? They're ugliness: dirt or sand gets in an oyster and the oyster coats it over so that it won't be irritating."

1992, Karen Kijewski, Kat's Cradle, page 7:


Phoenix

From Latin phoenīx, from Ancient Greek φοῖνῐξ (phoînĭx), Φοῖνῐξ (Phoînĭx).


Raven

I want you to do a background check on a woman named Raven Anderson. Waist-length black hair, violet eyes, tall, striking. Late twenties, I'd say.

1987, Kay Hooper, Raven on the Wing, page 33:

Raven-Symoné and Anneliese van der Pol will reprise their roles as best friends Raven Baxter and Chelsea Daniels.

2017 April 5, Lisa Respers France, “'That's So Raven' sequel is happening”, in CNN Entertainment:

A female given name from English for a girl with raven hair, used since the 1970s.

Raven Allen — Originally from the Zone, he becomes a member of the Psi:Ko when he is kidnapped with his brothers by trackers.

2013, Natsuya Uesugi, grydscaen, page 9:

A community in Red Deer County, Alberta, Canada, possibly named after the Raven River.

An unincorporated community in Knott County, Kentucky.


Ray

* As an English surname, from pet forms derived from the root of Raymond.
* Also as an English surname, from Old French rei (“king”). Compare Roy, King.
* Also as an English surname, from Old English rā (“roe deer”). Compare Roe.
* Also as an English surname, variant of Wray and Rye.
* As a Scottish Gaelic surname, shortened from McRae.
* As a French surname, from the verb raier (“to gush out, flow, radiate”). Compare Leray.
* As a Polish and Slovene surname, Americanized from Raj, from raj (“paradise”).
* As an Indian surname, variant of Rai.

-, or Raymond if it happened to be a boy, choosing it in the hope that a name like Ray would make a boy's life easier.

1980, Wright Morris, Plains Song, for Female Voices, Harper&Row, →ISBN, page 113:

Although the name on his birth certificate was spelled "Ray", Ray said he was originally given the name "Rae" after Rae Williams, a cousin on his father's side.

2005, Sam Weller, The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury, William Morrow, →ISBN, page 12:

A diminutive of the male given name Raymond, also used as a formal given name.

'Rachel told me―' 'Call her Ray. She hates Rachel.'

2010, Sophie Hannah, A Room Swept White, Hodder & Stoughton, →ISBN, page 271:

A diminutive of the female given name Rachel, more often spelled Rae.

A census-designated place in Coosa County, Alabama.

An unincorporated community in Fremont Township, Steuben County, Indiana and Branch County, Michigan.

A number of places in the United States:

Koochiching County
Koochiching County#English

An unincorporated community in Koochiching County, Minnesota.


Red

A nickname given to someone who has or had red hair.


Reed

* As an English and Scottish surname, from the adjective red.
* Also as an English surname, from Old English rēodan (“to clear out”), from Proto-West Germanic *reudan.
* Also as an English surname, from several places in England, such as Reed, Lancashire (from Old English ra (“roe deer”) or Rede, Suffolk (see Rede).
Compare Rider, Reader.

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.


Robin

* (masculine given name): From Middle English Robin, from Old French, diminutive of Robert
* (feminine given name): From the bird, robin
* (given name): From Germanic

They ſay hee is already in the Forreſt of Arden, and a many merry men with him; and there liue like the old Robin Hood of England

c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], page 186, column 1:

This waly boy will be nae coof: /I think we'll call him Robin./ Robin was a rovin' boy, / Rantin', rovin', rantin', rovin', /Robin was a rovin' boy, / Rantin', rovin' Robin.

1785, Robert Burns, Rantin', Rovin' Robin:

Some names simply aren't appropriate after a while. Say you were called Robin, for instance. Well that's a perfectly good monicker up to the age of about nine, but pretty soon you'd have to do something about it, wouldn't you? Change your name by deed-poll to Samson, or Goliath, or something.

1991, Julian Barnes, Talking It Over, Jonathan Cape, →ISBN, page 12:

A male given name from the Romance languages or the Germanic languages.

"We'll name her Robin," her mother said, and it was as though at her words something of that spring and the bird's song and his gay and friendly and impudent spirit entered into the child.

1949, Adela Rogers St. John, Never Again, and Other Stories, Doubleday, page 25:

A female given name from the Germanic languages, also associated with the bird robin.


Robin

a unisex given name, equivalent to English Robin


Ruby

The female name derives from ruby in the 19th century.

And those are her two daughters, Opal and Ruby. Her husband, Joshua, named them. He said they were to be the jewels of his old age. She would never have thought of names like that. There wasn't an ounce of sentiment in her body.

1992, Karen Kijewski, Kat's Cradle, page 76:

United States Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands

A settlement on the island of Saint Croix in the United States Virgin Islands.


Saga

Saga Becker

2007, Saga McOdongo, Deadly money maker

[…] Saga Norén's personal story that forms the series' sentimental narrative. As part of her strategy to develop ways to understand the personal motivations of the killers and other people around her, Saga Norén actively uses her partners[…]

2019 January 28, Dimitris Akrivos, Alexandros K. Antoniou, Crime, Deviance and Popular Culture: International and Multidisciplinary Perspectives, Springer, →ISBN, page 34:


Sage

en-proper-noun

Sage (countable and uncountable, plural Sages)

* As an English and French surname, from sage, a nickname for a wise person. The given name, in general use since the 1990s, is also associated with the sage plant. Compare Desage, Lesage.
* As an Irish surname, variant of Savage.
* As a German surname, from a placename derived from the noun sege (“sedge”) (see sedge).

She wanted to give the child a unique, meaningful name; among those she and Linda liked, she said, were Laurel and Lavender. Or if it was a boy, perhaps Sage . “Why not Spinach or Cabbage?” Brian had scoffed.

1974, Alison Lurie, The War Between the Tates: A Novel, Open Road Media, published 2012, →ISBN:

(Wicca) One of the triune gods of the Horned God in Wicca, representing a man, older than a middle-aged Father and boyish Master

An unincorporated community in Izard County, Arkansas, United States.

A census-designated place in Riverside County, California, United States.

Riverside County
Riverside County#English

An unincorporated community in Burnet County, Texas, United States.


Sandy

Sandy (given name)
Sandy, Bedfordshire
Sandy, Carmarthenshire

A diminutive of the male given names Alexander, Sander, Alasdair, Sandeep, Sanford, or Santiago.

A diminutive of the female given names Sandra, Alexandra, or Cassandra.


Sandy

Domesday Book
Sandy (given name)
Sandy, Bedfordshire
Sandy, Carmarthenshire

* (Bedfordshire) Recorded as Sandeie in the Domesday Book, the town is named with Old English sand (“sand”) + īeġ (“island”).
* (Carmarthenshire) From Welsh sant + dŷ (“house of the saint”)

Central Bedfordshire
Central Bedfordshire#English

A market town and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire, Bedfordshire, England (OS grid ref TL1649).

A settlement in Llanelli Rural community, Carmarthenshire, Wales, just west of Llanelli town (OS grid ref SN4900).


Silver

As a surname, anglicised from the German Jewish ornamental surname Silber.

" - - - I'll level with you, Mr. Cummings."
"Silver", he corrected.
"Sounds like the Lone Ranger's horse," she said.

1993, Ed McBain, Mischief, William Morrow and Co., →ISBN, page 67:

"Silver here, my darling wife, insists on the services of a particular yacht upholsterer. - - - " From the way he said the woman's metal name Quayle thought it was changed from a stodgier "Alice" or "Bernice".

1993, Annie Proulx, Shipping News, Fourth Estate, →ISBN, page 121:

A unisex given name from English from the metal, or transferred from the surname.


Terry

A surname originating as a patronymic from the medieval Norman given name Thierry, a cognate of the English Derek.

A male given name from the Germanic languages transferred back from the surname, or a diminutive of Terence or of any of its alternative forms.

A male given name from Latin derived from the Latin for the third ("tertius") given to a third child or a child whose name has the suffix III.

A female given name, diminutive of Teresa or any of its alternative forms.

A number of places in the United States:

West Carroll Parish
West Carroll Parish#English

An unincorporated community in West Carroll Parish, Louisiana.


Toby

The Middle English vernacular form of Tobias.

By my troth, Sir Toby, you must come in earlier o' nights: your cousin, my lady, takes great exceptions to your ill hours.

c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:

And for my own part, said my uncle Toby, though I should blush to boast of myself, Trim - yet had my name been Alexander, I could have done no more at Namur than my duty.

1761, [Laurence Sterne], chapter 18, in The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, volume IV, London: […] R[obert] and J[ames] Dodsley […], →OCLC:

His name was Toby Bell and he was entirely alone in his criminal contemplations. [ - - - ] As to the Toby, which might by the sound of it set him higher on the English social ladder than his provenance deserved, it derived from nothing more elevated than his father's pride in the holy man Tobias, whose wondrous filial virtues are set down in the ancient scripts.

2013, John le Carré, A Delicate Truth, Penguin UK, →ISBN:


Trinity

A female given name from English used since the 1970s, from the religious term trinity, or translated from its long-established Spanish equivalent.


Val

And Publius Valerius became the baby's name, though it afterwards transpired that they had got hold of the inferior Cato. In 1890, however, when little Publius was nearly ten, the word 'chic' went out of fashion, and sobriety came in; Winifred began to have doubts. They were confirmed by little Publius himself, who returned from his first term at school complaining that life was a burden to him - they called him Pubby. Winifred - a woman of real decision - promptly changed his school and his name to Val, the Publius being dropped even as an initial.

1920, John Galsworthy, The Forsyte Saga: In Chancery:I: Chapter 2::

A male given name, a short form of Valentine and Valerius.

A female given name, a short form of Valerie and Valmai.