Finn

From Old English Finnas (“the Sami”) (plural), from Old Norse finnr (“a hunter-gatherer”), from Proto-Germanic *finnaz (which see for more). Possibly originally meaning a ‘finder’ of food, referring to nomadic hunter-gatherers, particularly the Sami.

der

a <i class="Latn mention" lang="en">hunter-gatherer</i>


Latine

Borrowed from Spanish latine (“Latine; Latino or Latina”). Gender-neutral e replaces the gendered endings/elements a and o.

-a-o-e

(gender-neutral, neologism) Someone of Latin American descent; a Latino or Latina.


Latine

(gender-neutral, neologism) Hispanic; Latino or Latina.


Oral

A male given name from Latin of American usage


Peach

* As an English surname, from French péché (“sin”). Compare Peachey, Petch.
* As a German surname, Americanized from Pietsch.


Argentine

From Old French argentin (“silvery”), from Latin argentum (“silver”).

Fall River County
Fall River County#English

A township in Fall River County, South Dakota.


Pijin

Borrowed from Pijin Pijin, from English pidgin, from a Chinese Pidgin English pronunciation of business.

In full Solomon Islands Pijin, Solomon Pijin, or Solomons Pijin: a language spoken on the Solomon Islands, which is a form of Melanesian Pidgin.


Henry

From Middle English Henry, from Old French (and Anglo-Norman) Henri, from Frankish *Haimrik, from Proto-Germanic *Haimarīks. Cognate with German Heinrich, Dutch Hendrik, Estonian Hendrik, and Old Norse Heimríkr (Danish Henrik).

And now I feare that fatall Prophecie, / Which in the time of Henry, nam'd the Fift, / Was in the mouth of euery ſucking Babe, / That Henry borne at Monmouth ſhould winne all, / And Henry borne at Windſor, looſe all: […]

1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i], page 107, column 1:

Henry now, what a soft swain your Henry is! the proper theme of gentle poesy; a name to fall in love withal; devoted at the font to song and sonnet, and the tender passion; a baptized inamorato; a christened hero. Call him Harry, and see how you ameliorate his condition.

1830, Mary Russell Mitford, “Cottage Names”, in Our Village: Sketches of Rural Character and Scenery, volume IV, London: Whittaker, Treacher, & Co., […], →OCLC, page 72:

Walter [Map] was one of the remarkable men who stand before us as the representatives of a sudden outburst of literary, social, and religious criticism which followed the growth of romance and the appearance of a freer historical tone in the court of the two Henrys.

1878, Charles K[ittredge] True, “Dawn of the Reformation in Scotland—[…]”, in The Life and Times of John Knox, the Soul of the Scottish Reformation, Cincinnati, Oh.: Hitchcock and Walden; New York, N.Y.: Nelson & Phillips, page 18:

Eight Henries, one Mary, / One Elizabeth; / Crowned and throned Kings and Queens / Now lie still in death.

1924, Walter de la Mare, “Kings and Queens”, in Peacock Pie: A Book of Rhymes […], London; Bombay; Sydney, N.S.W.: Constable & Company Ltd, page 4:

A male given name from the Germanic languages, popular in England since the Middle Ages.


Poultry

Home of medieval feather dealers and stuffers.

A street in the City of London between Cheapside and Cornhill (at Bank).


Penny

A diminutive of the female given name Penelope.


Occidental

Occidental
Occidental language
Occidental, California

An artificial language, created by Edgar de Wahl later renamed Interlingue shortly before the publication of Interlingua

census-designated place
census-designated place

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


Iris

From Ancient Greek Ἶρις (Îris, “rainbow”).

Persia tells Iris she is named for something special: the iris of the eye. "I thought I was named for a flower," Iris says, disappointed. "An iris is a flower, of course," Persia says, smiling, "but it's this other, too. Our secret. 'The iris of the eye'." "The eye?" Persia snaps her fingers in Iris's eyes. The gesture is so rude and unexpected, Iris will remember it all her life. After this disclosure, Iris doesn't know whether she likes her name any more.

1990, Joyce Carol Oates, Because It Is Bitter, And Because It Is My Heart, →ISBN, page 39:

A female given name from Ancient Greek; a flower name used since the end of the 19th century.


Piper

A female given name transferred from the surname, used since the mid-twentieth century, first by the American actress Piper Laurie.


Paddy

It is in this context of Irishphobia that the racist caricature of the drunken, violent, ignorant Paddy was established.

1996, Pierre L. Van Den Berghe, Ernest Cashmore, Ellis Cashmore, Dictionary of Race and Ethnic Relations, page 182:

(slang, sometimes offensive) An Irish person.


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.


Melissa

From Ancient Greek μέλισσα (mélissa, “bee, honey, or honeybee”). In Ireland it is sometimes used as a feminine form of the Gaelic male name Maol Íosa (literally “servant of Jesus”).

der

And her owne handmayd, that Melissa hight / Appointed to attend her dewly day and night

1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

Miss Melissa Wackles was the eldest daughter, Miss Sophy the next, and Miss Jane the youngest.

1840 April – 1841 November, Charles Dickens, “(please specify the chapter number or name)”, in The Old Curiosity Shop. A Tale. […], London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1841, →OCLC:

- - - by Mrs. Melissa Blaydon and Miss Ianthe Ambrose.
"Well, they may be sisters," said Nigel. "Those elegant, classical Christian names suggest one father.

1959, Nicholas Blake, The Widow's Cruise, page 9:

A female given name from Ancient Greek. Popular in the latter half of the 20th century.


Primrose

The surname derives from a place name in Fife, Scotland, from Brythonic words meaning "tree" + "moor", changed by folk etymology because of phonetic resemblance to primrose. The given name is one of the 19th-century flower names.

Mother said, "How do you like Primrose? It sounds fresh and pretty." Milly-Molly-Mandy thought it sounded a very nice name. - - - And then she decided, as the baby had come in the spring-time, it had better be Primrose.

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

(rare, chiefly Britain) A female given name from English.


Mongol

Borrowed from Classical Mongolian ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ (mongɣol), from Middle Mongol ᠮᠣᠩᠬᠣᠯ (mongqol).
The sense “person with Down syndrome” comes from the fact that people with this condition often have a prominent epicanthic fold, as most people of East Asian ethnicity do.

A member of any of the various Mongol ethnic groups living in The Mongolian People's Republic, the (former) USSR, Tibet and Nepal.


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).

(Arthurian legend) Ellipsis of Morgan le Fay.


Median

The northwestern Old Iranian language of the Medes, attested only by numerous loanwords in Old Persian, few borrowings in Old Armenian and some glosses in Ancient Greek; nothing is known of its grammar.


Javanese

An indigenous language spoken by Javanese people.


Lee

en-proper noun

Lee (countable and uncountable, plural Lees)

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.


Reg

A diminutive of the male given name Reginald


Poppy

"It is a very pretty name, Mma. I should like to be called Poppy."
The compliment drew a smile. "I used to be very embarrassed about it," said Poppy. "I used to try to hide my name from people. I thought it was a very silly name."
Mma Ramotswe shook her head. There was nothing embarrassing about the name Poppy, but there was no telling what names people would find embarrassing.

2006, Alexander McCall Smith, Blue Shoes and Happiness, →ISBN:

(chiefly UK) A female given name from English, a flower name used since the end of the 19th century.


Read

English and Scottish surname, variant of Reed.


Putonghua

/ˌpuːtɒŋˈhwɑː/

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin Chinese pronunciation for 普通話／普通话 (Pǔtōnghuà, literally “common speech”).

zh-l

As a mainland China national, the counter for our trial was fluent in English, Putonghua, and the Sichuan dialect, and was familiar with a number of other major Chinese languages such as Cantonese and Hakka.

2019, Li Huang, James Lambert, “Another Arrow for the Quiver: A New Methodology for Multilingual Researchers”, in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, →DOI, page 10:

People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China

Standard Mandarin, the official language of the People's Republic of China; the state-designated national speech of the Han nationality using Beijing pronunciation as the standard pronunciation, Beijing speech as the basic dialect, and the model writing of the modern vernacular prose as the norm for grammar.

普通話

the official language of the People's Republic of China — see also Mandarin


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.


Randy

A diminutive of the male given names Randall or Randolph, used as a male given name in the US.

A diminutive of the female given name Miranda.


Epiphany

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Edward Burne-Jones

ref

From the collection of the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in Birmingham, England, United Kingdom.

𐔰𐕄𐕒𐕡𐕄𐕆𐔶𐕒𐕡𐕎

annual Christian feast celebrating this event

härkäviikot

season or time of the Christian church year


Parmesan

/ˈpɑːmɪˌzæn/

/ˌpɑːmɪˈzæn/

/ˈpɑːməˌzən/


Frank

From Middle English Frank, partially from Old English Franca (“a Frank”); and partially from Old French Franc, and/or Latin Francus (“a Frank”), from Frankish *Franko (“a Frank”); both maybe from Proto-Germanic *frankô (“javelin”). Cognate with Old High German Franko (“a Frank”), Old English franca (“spear, javelin”). Compare Saxon, ultimately a derivative of Proto-Germanic *sahsą (“knife, dagger”). Doublet of franc, frank, and farang.

One of the Franks, a Germanic federation that inhabited parts of what are now France, the Low Countries and Germany.


Frank

The surname derives from the medieval tribal name. The given name is also a form of Francis, with formal given name status since the 19th century.

Mrs. Ford. How now, sweet Frank! why art thou melancholy?

c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:

A male given name from the Germanic languages.

Your name is Francis, is it?
Frank, sir.
Your name is Francis. There was never a St. Frank. That's a name for gangsters and politicians.

1996, Frank McCourt, chapter VII, in Angela's Ashes, HarperCollins, →ISBN, page 197:

A diminutive of the male given name Francis


Eve

From Middle English Eve, Eue, from Old English Eue, Æue, from Latin Eva, from Ancient Greek Εὔα (Eúa), from Biblical Hebrew חַוָּה (ḥawwā).

"You were always a cynic," said Edith tolerantly. "I'm sure that Eve will want to have a baby - isn't that why we called her Eve?"
"Of course not," said Herbert, as if the baby-cult had long been irritating him. "We called her Eve, or Evelyn, after your grandmother, who was going to leave, and did leave us some money."

1970, L.P.Hartley, My Sister's Keeper, page 113:


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.


Genesis

From Ancient Greek γένεσις (génesis, “creation, beginning, origin”).

der

A female given name from Ancient Greek of American usage since the 1980s.


Johnson

en-proper noun

Johnson (countable and uncountable, plural Johnsons)

⇒ Translingual: johnsoni, johnsonii

A patronymic surname from John + -son, literally “son of John”.
* In the U.S. the name Johnson has been adopted by numerous European immigrant families originally named Johansson, Johnsson, Johansen, Jonsson, etc.
* Doublet of Johansson, Johansen, Jansen, and Hansen.

doublet

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Aurora

/ʔaʊ̯ˈɾo.ɾɐ/

Aurora (disambiguation)
Gérard de Lairesse
Manuel Quezon

Ultimately from Latin Aurōra. The Philippine placenames were named after First Lady Aurora Quezon, the wife of Pres. Manuel Quezon, the 2nd president of the Philippines.

How will they know! Why, my name is all over them: my silly, unhappy name. Oh, if I had only been christened Mary Jane, or Gladys, Muriel, or Beatrice, or Francesca, or Guinevere, or something quite common. But Aurora! Aurora! I'm the only Aurora in London; and everybody knows it. I believe I'm the only Aurora in the world. And it's so horribly easy to rhyme to it!

1904, George Bernard Shaw, How He Lied to Her Husband:

A female given name from Latin, in regular use since the 19th century.


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.


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.

A number of places in the United States:

An unincorporated community in Knott County, Kentucky.


Rik

Alternative spelling of Rick (“male nickname, usually short for Richard”)


Nancy

Medieval diminutive of Ann and Agnes. Compare Betsy, Patsy.

I'll ne'er blame my partial fancy,
Naething could resist my Nancy:
But to see her was to love her;
Love but her, and love forever.

"And they've got lovely names, too. You'll like their names," sighed Nancy. "They're 'Algernon' and 'Florabelle' and 'Estelle'. I - I just hate Nancy!" "Oh, Nancy, what a dreadful thing to say! Why?" "Because it isn't pretty like the others. You see, I was the first baby, and mother hadn't begun ter read so many stories with the pretty names in them, then."

1913, Eleanor H. Porter, chapter 7, in Pollyanna, L.C. Page, →OCLC:


Rich

From Richard. The surname also derives from rich as a nickname.

A diminutive of the male given name Richard.


Rube

A diminutive of the male given name Reuben.


Lot

A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin; rare today.


Saffron

The bad thing was she took my son Skiff with her. It's a dumb name I know, but at the time he was born all the kids were being called things like Sky and Saffron and Powie, and I was really sold on sailing.

1981, William Boyd, On the Yankee Station, Hamilton, →ISBN, page 17:

A female given name from English; a rare flower name from the saffron.


Rick

A diminutive of the male given name Richard, or sometimes of related names, such as Ricardo.


Rocky

Rocky (countable and uncountable, plural Rockys)

‘I didn′t know your son′s name was Rocky,’ I quietly said as we started walking again.
‘It's really Richard. When he was a kid we called him Ricky, which somehow turned into Rocky. Some people call him Rocco. He gets called a lot of things.’

1995, Patricia Cornwell, From Potter′s Field, Berkeley Books, published 2005, →ISBN, page 82:

A diminutive of the male given names Rocco, Roch, or Rock


Rob

A diminutive of the male given name Robert.


Ridley

Place names in England, Old English hrēad (“reeds”) or rydde (“cleared land”) + lēah (“wood, clearing”). Thus, equivalent to reed or rid + -ley (“lea”).

A female given name transferred from the surname, of rare usage.


Rosemary

/ˈɹəʊzˌmɛːɹi/

/ˈɹoʊzˌmɛəɹi/

A combination of Rose + Mary, referring to the flower as a symbol of Virgin Mary, first recorded in the eighteenth century. It is found in continental Europe as Rosemarie and Rosa Maria. After mid-nineteenth century when flower names became common it may also refer to the herb rosemary, Latin ros marinus "dew of the sea".

"And you - you darling!" - addressing the astonished Rosemary - "will you love your grandmamma? Kiss me, my child." - - -
"Oh, you tell fibs!" cried the child. "My name is Rose Marie Romarin - is it not, Grandpa?"

1860, Jedediah Vincent Huntington, Rosemary: or, Life or Death, D.&J. Sadler, Co, published 1860, page 175:

Rosemary. A sweet dark name, though finally a shrill trite woman.

1985, Alice Munro, The Progress of Love, Chatto&Windus, published 1987, →ISBN, page 53:


Pascal

Pascal (countable and uncountable, plural Pascals)

From Latin Paschālis, from paschālis (“Paschal; of or pertaining to Easter”), from pascha (“Easter”) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives), for birth on Easter, or in honor of the 9th-century pope Paschal I (died 824). Doublet of Paschal. The programming language was named after French mathematician, philosopher and physicist Blaise Pascal (1623–1662).

(countable) A male given name from Latin used in medieval England; today occasionally borrowed from French.


Marina

Name of an early virgin martyr venerated in the Orthodox Church, Latin Marīna, probably a feminine form of Marīnus, from marīnus (“of the sea”), or a variant of Marīa.

My gentle babe Marina - whom, / for she was born at sea, I have nam'd so -

c. 1607–1608, William Shakeſpeare, The Late, And much admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: Imprinted at London for Henry Goſſon, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:

Marina Ovsyannikova, b. 1978

Марина Марина#Russian

A transliteration of the Russian female given name Марина (Marina).


Savanna

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


Serenity

A female given name from English in general use since the 1990s.


Sango

Central African Republic
Central African Republic

The primary language spoken in the Central African Republic: it has 5 million second-language speakers, but only 400,000 native speakers, mainly in the towns.


Sienna

A female given name from English of modern usage from the sienna colour.


Rex

Rex Lex (meaning that the King is the law)

Lex Rex (meaning that the King is not absolute but subject to the law)

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ-
Proto-Indo-European *-s
Proto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵs
Proto-Italic *rēks
Latin rēxbor.
English Rex
From Latin rēx (“king”). Doublet of rajah and roy.

etymon

A male given name from Latin coined in the nineteenth century from Latin rex "king," rarely given today.


Sissy

‘Sissy is not a name,’ said Mr. Gradgrind. ‘Don’t call yourself Sissy. Call yourself Cecilia.’
‘It’s father as calls me Sissy, sir,’ returned the young girl in a trembling voice, and with another curtsey.

1854, Charles Dickens, “Book I, Chapter II”, in Hard Times. For These Times, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], →OCLC:

“He'd give the store away if Sissy and I let him,” said Dreama.

2013, Lee Martin, Southern Psalms, page 70:

A diminutive of the female given name Cecilia.


Sherry

A female given name from English, from the sherry wine, or a variant of Cheri.


Sean

Sian (female given name, cot–caught merger, father-bother merger)

Anglicised form 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, Shaun, Shane, and Giovanni.

doublet

They sit by the fire smoking and talking about names. Mam says she likes the names Kevin and Sean but Bridey says, Ah no, there's too many of them in Limerick. Jesus, Angela, if you stuck your head out of the door and called, Kevin or Sean, come in for your tea, you'd have half o' Limerick running to your door.

1996, Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes, Harper Collins Publishers., →ISBN, page 203:


Shay

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.

A diminutive of the male given name Seamus.


Ester

A female given name from Hebrew, alternative form of Esther


Serene

The Prince according to the former token, / Which faire Serene to him delivered had, […]

1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 18:

A female given name from English. A rare variant of Serena.


Sally

A diminutive lambdacism of Sarah. Compare Hal from Harry and Moll from Mary).

She submitted―for what alternative did she have?―to being Sally in this family, but she always signed herself, Sarah.

1969, Doris Lessing, The Four-Gated City, Bantam Books, published 1970, page 114:

Maybe her first name was Sally, but David thought he would have remembered a name like that; there were so few Sallys these days. Now the world belonged to Ambers, Ashleys, and Tiffanys.

2008, Stephen King, Just After Sunset, Simon and Schuster, published 2009, →ISBN, page 8:

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


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.


Rufus

A male given name from Latin, used since the seventeenth century.


Pierre

A male given name from French, of occasional usage, equivalent to English Peter.


Rod

Abbreviated form of Rodney and of Roderick, both with roots originating from Germanic *hrōþiz (“fame”).

A nickname for the male given names Rodney and Roderick.


Sal

A diminutive of the male given names Samuel or Salvador.

A diminutive of the female given name Sally.


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.


Red

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


Sapphire

I asked her once how a little girl who didn't have blue eyes ended up being called Sapphire. She pursed her lips for a few seconds, clearly wondering how she could get away with not telling me.
'My older brother is called Mistral,' she said in the end. 'My younger sister is Blaze. I'd say I was the lucky one.'
As I say, hippy parents.

2015, Sharon Bolton, Little Black Lies, Corgi Books, →ISBN, page 179:

A female given name from English from the precious stone.


Lea

A female given name from Hebrew, form of Leah.


Shell

A diminutive of the female given name Michelle.


Sooner

Coordinate term: Boomer

Some skunk of a Sooner, sneaking in ahead of the Run, had set the blaze to keep the Boomers off, saving the land for himself.

(historical) One who crossed into Indian territory before the official opening of settlement in the Oklahoma land rush, in order to obtain land sooner.


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.


Stew

A diminutive of the male given name Stewart


Sibyl

Latin Sibylla, Ancient Greek Σίβυλλα (Síbulla, “sibyl”), name of ancient Greek prophetesses.

uder

Be she as foul as Florentius' love, / As old as Sibyl, and as curst and shrewd / As Socrates' Xanthippe, or worse, / She moves me not.


Sorb

Borrowed from German Sorbe, from Lower Sorbian Serb, the self-appointed name. Doublet of Serb.

A member of a Slavic people living in Lusatia in eastern Germany.


Ralph

From Middle English Radulf, from Old English Rǣdwulf (also as Raulf), from Proto-West Germanic *Rādawulf, from Proto-Germanic *Rēdawulfaz. Reinforced by similar forms brought to England, e.g. Old Norse Ráðúlfr, then in the Norman form Old French Radulf, Radulph. For the sense relating to vomiting, see ralph.

talk to Ralph on the big white telephone

There were none fine but Adam, Ralph, and Gregory: / The rest were ragged, old, and beggarly

c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:

Regarding the correct pronunciation, especially of the name Ralph: according to a friend at the BBC, the possibilities of this name - either aristocratic 'Rafe' or vulgar, almost Australasian 'Ralff' - lie in its potential for wilful mispronunciation against type. I saw him cast confusion into an over-confident studio guest by introducing him as 'Sir Rafe Halpern'. This was nothing to the consternation, almost disintegration of the personality, of the artistic, aloof actor brought on as 'Rolf Fiennes' ('Fiennes', naturally, pronounced superbly).

1998 The Spectator, 7 March 1998, page 55 ("Dear Mary...")

A male given name from the Germanic languages.


Mon

A member of a people living primarily in the Mon State of Myanmar (also known as Burma), and in Thailand.


Mon

The language of this people, in the Austroasiatic language family.


Mon

Phoebe: Oh, hey, Mon, do you still have your like... old blouses and dresses from high school? Monica: Yeah, I think I have some around here somewhere. Why?

2009, Paulo Quaglio, Television Dialogue: The sitcom Friends vs. natural conversation, page 19:

A diminutive of the female given name Monica.


Sandy

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

Recorded as Sandeie in the Domesday Book, the town is named with Old English sand (“sand”) + īeġ (“island”).

Central Bedfordshire
Central Bedfordshire#English

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


Benjamin

en-proper noun

Benjamin (countable and uncountable, plural Benjamins)

From Late Latin Benjamin, from Ancient Greek Βενιαμίν (Beniamín), from Biblical Hebrew בִּנְיָמִין (binyamīn, literally “son of the right/south or son of days”). Authorities differ on the meaning of the original Hebrew. Philo of Alexandria, the Samaritan Pentateuch The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs and Midrash Leḳaḥ-Ṭob understand יָמִין to mean "days" (a meaning attested in Daniel 12:13) understanding the name to mean "son of days (i.e. old age)" (compare to the direct translations into Arabic بِنْ يَومِين (bin yawmīn) "son of the days" and Arabic بِنْ يَمِين (bin yamīn) "son of the right hand"), a formula paraphrased in Genesis 40:22 where Benjamin is described as a child of Jacob's old age. Rashi in his commentary on Genesis also gives this as a possible meaning but favors an understanding of יָמִין to mean "right" in the sense of "the south", noting that Benjamin was the only son of Jacob born in the south. Jerome understood the name to mean "son of the right hand" and Gesenius speculated that this expression might have meant "son of good fortune".

cog

بِنْ يَومِين

Arabic بِنْ يَومِين

"Well, who the hell ever thinks some boy with a name like Benjamin is going to kill someone?" I said. "It's like someone named Winnie the Pooh taking hostages!"

2007, Mark Schreiber, Starcrossed, Llewellyn Worldwide, →ISBN, page 53:

A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Anna

From Late Latin Anna both directly and via numerous other languages, chiefly in reference to St Anne the apocryphal mother of Mary mother of Jesus but appearing in the Vulgate in reference to Anne the Prophetess, from Koine Greek Ἄννα (Ánna) in the New Testament, from Hebrew חַנָּה (Ḥanâ, “Hannah”), from חַנָּה (ḥanâ, “grace, gracious, graced with child”). As a city in Illinois, named for Anna Davie, wife of one of the initial settlers. Doublet of Ann, Anne, Ana, and Hannah.

Every lover the years disclose / Is of a beautiful name made free. / One befriends, and all others are foes. / Anna's the name of names for me.

c. 1886 William Ernest Henley, A Ballade of Ladies' Names, Gleeson White:Ballades and Rondeaus, Read Books 1887, page 19

M for Madeleine, M for Marguerite, M for Melanie and the rest, she thought, smiling as she remembered the long string of glamorous names they had invented for her. No wonder plain "Anna" had seemed a little disappointing!

1967, Joan G. Robinson, When Marnie Was There, HarperCollins, published 2014, →ISBN, page 189:

His real name was Leonard, Len. He'd changed it when he came East. "Len," he said. "A turd of a name. Who wants it? I mean a name that ends in a nasalization, for Christ's sake. Leo now. It's like Anna. They go on forever. You can live with a name like that."

1986, Sue Miller, The Good Mother, G.K.Hall, published 1987, →ISBN, page 183:


Luna

From Middle English lune, luna (“the moon”), from Latin lūna/Lūna, from Proto-Indo-European *lówksneh₂. Doublet of Roxane.

- - - and it so happened, that in one of old Bryan's daughters named Luna, or more familiarly Loony, he perceived, or thought he perceived, some imaginary similarity in form and air to the lovely apparition.

1837, James Hogg, “The Mysterious Bride”, in Talks and Sketches: The Shepherd's Calendar, Blackie & Son, page 343:

A few seconds later, Luna Lovegood emerged, trailing behind the rest of the class, a smudge of earth on her nose, and her hair tied in a knot on the top of her head.

2003, J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 236:


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.


Otto

en-proper noun

Otto (countable and uncountable, plural Ottos or Ottoes)

Translingual: Ottoia, Ottoiidae

From German Otto, from Old High German, short form of compound names beginning with Proto-West Germanic *aud, from Proto-Germanic *audaz (“wealth, riches”) (cognate of English Ed- in Edgar, Edmund, Edward, Edith, etc.).


ka

Cyrillic script
Appendix:Cyrillic script#English

The name of the Cyrillic script letter К / к.


Soma

A female given name from Sanskrit used in India.


Savannah

The cities are named after the Savannah River, possibly derived from Shawnee or Algonquian.

A female given name transferred from the place name.

"I kind of like Bianca. And Chelsea. And Courtney."
Elise gave it some thought. " Those are nice names." She nodded.
"What do you think about Savannah?" Audrey asked. " Then I could be Savannah from Savannah."

A female given name, from the word savannah.


Regina

/ɹɪ.ˈd͡ʒaɪ.nə/

From Latin regina (“queen”). The given name originally referred to the Virgin Mary as the Queen of Heaven. The Canadian city was named for Queen Victoria, as suggested by Princess Louise. Doublet of rani.

Of course, her name isn't really 'Ree-Jane'; it's Regina Jane Davidow. I have always thought the name itself rather wonderful and am only sorry it belongs to her.

1996, Martha Grimes, Hotel Paradise, Headline, →ISBN, page 5:


Tammy

A diminutive of Tamsin and Tamara, later also used for new names beginning with Tam such as Tamika and Tamiya.

Wish I knew if he knew
What I'm dreaming of
Tammy, Tammy, Tammy's in love.

1957, Jay Livingston, Ray Evans, Tammy (song):

A female given name popular in the 1960s and the 1970s.


Sierra

A female given name of modern American usage, from the Spanish noun, confused with Ciara and Sarah.


Phoebe

Borrowed from Latin Phoebē, from Ancient Greek Φοίβη (Phoíbē), feminine form of Φοῖβος (Phoîbos, “bright”).


Phoenix

From Latin phoenīx, from Ancient Greek φοῖνῐξ (phoînix), Φοῖνῐξ (Phoînix).


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 number of places in the United States:

A census-designated place in Coosa County, Alabama.

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

Koochiching County
Koochiching County#English

An unincorporated community in Koochiching County, Minnesota.


Prince

en-proper noun

Prince (countable and uncountable, plural Princes)

Prince Fielder hit another home run today.

Young Mr Turveydrop's name is Prince; I wish it wasn't, because it sounds like a dog, but he didn't christen himself. Old Mr Turveydrop had him christened Prince, in remembrance of the Prince Regent.

1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, chapter XIV, in Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLC:

A male given name from English in occasional use.


Teddy

She said, “You indicated little Teddy's become quite a handful.” “Theodore,” said Christopher. “God, whatever you do, don't call him Teddy.”

2013 April 12, Elizabeth Strout, Olive Kitteridge: The Beloved Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novel, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:

A diminutive of the male given names Edward or Theodore, or of their diminutives Ted and Tedd.


Todger

Will you box Todger Fairmile if I put him on to you?

1905, George Bernard Shaw, Major Barbara:

"TODGER" - it hardly seems a name
To claim a place on the scroll of fame;
'Tis a hero's name, all the same.
He's Thomas A. Jones officially,
But "Todger" is the name that he goes by

1917, William Hathorn Mills, War-ballads and Verses:


Oz

etymid

various alterations of surnames or given names

A diminutive of the male given names Oscar or Oswald.


Sheila

Anglicized spelling of Síle, the Irish form of Cecilia. Doublet of Cecilia.

Were English girls not good enough for him that he must needs come up and take away Sheila Mackenzie, and keep her there in the South.

1874, William Black, A Princess of Thule, Adamant Media Corporation, →ISBN, page 295:

What lovely names for girls there are! / There's Stella like the Evening Star, / And Sylvia like a rustling tree, / And Lola like a melody, / And Flora like a flowery morn, / And Sheila like a field of corn,

1933, Eleanor Farjeon, “Girls' Names”, in Over the Garden Wall, Faber and Faber, page 91:

He shortened her name to Sheila which, in spite of its primness, she seemed to love. - - - For Susheela - Sheila, as she was now known - this creeping daylight signalled the start, not the end of sleep.

2008, Helen Walsh, Once Upon a Time in England, →ISBN:

Sheela

usual spelling of the Indian name; occasional spelling of the Irish name

Sile

an uncommon Anglicisation of the original Irish Síle


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.

West Carroll Parish
West Carroll Parish#English

An unincorporated community in West Carroll Parish, Louisiana.


Tanner

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


Tiara

A female given name from English from the noun tiara


Tad

A diminutive of the male given name Thaddeus or Thaddaeus.


Mandarin

Calque from Chinese 官話／官话 (Guānhuà, “spoken language of the mandarins”). An extension of mandarin (“bureaucrat of the Chinese Empire”) to the language used by the imperial court and sometimes by imperial officials elsewhere. As such, it was adopted as a synonym for Modern Standard Chinese in the 20th century. The term became ambiguous, however, as its use was extended to the various Northern dialects of Chinese.

zh-l

[...]and though the ſame word hath one ſignification in the Mandorines Language, and a contrary in Japan and other places, yet knowing one Speech and their Character, you may Travel not only through the Empire of China, but the adjacent Kingdoms.

[1669, John Nievhoff, “Athanasius Kircher Description of China”, in John Ogilby, transl., An Embassy from the Eaſt-India Company of the United Provinces, to the Grand Tartar Cham Emperour of China, London: John Macock, →OCLC, page 106:

Far fewer people understood Mandarin in Hotan than anywhere else I'd been in Xinjiang. It made getting around difficult, as not only did the taxi drivers fail to understand what I was saying, but they couldn't read an address either. Most ignored or didn't know the Chinese names given to the streets anyway.

2014, David Eimer, The Emperor Far Away: Travels at the Edge of China, Bloomsbury USA, →ISBN, page 75:

Owner David Yeh says his Little-One bar -- a homophone to Lithuania's Mandarin name "Litaowan" -- started getting more attention last year after Vilnius became the first EU government to donate vaccines.

2022 March 9, “'Lithuania mania' sweeps Taiwan as China spat sizzles”, in France 24, archived from the original on 2022-03-09:

Standard Mandarin, an official language of China and Taiwan, and one of four official languages in Singapore; Putonghua, Guoyu or Huayu.

標準中国語

ひょうじゅんちゅうごくご


Rock

* As an English surname, from the noun rock. Compare Roach.
* Also as an English surname, misdivision of Middle English atter oke (“at the oak”). Compare Nock.
* As an English occupational surname, from Old Norse rokkr (“distaff”). Compare Rocker.
* As an Irish surname, translated from names like Mac Conchairge (“son of the hound of the rock”), from cú + carraig, see also McHarg.
* As a German surname Röck, variant of the personal name Rocco, see Roche.
* Also as a German surname, from the noun Rock (“skirt gown”).
* As a French surname, shortened from Roquebrune, Rocquebrune (see Rocque) or Larock.
Compare Roch.

A male given name transferred from the surname.

A number of places in the United States:

An unincorporated community in Cowley County, Kansas.


Mari

Borrowed from Western Mari мари (mari, “Mari language term for the Mari”).


Mari

Our colleague, Mari Takahashi Parker (1993), compared schools in the United States and in Japan. She found that in the United States, principals tended to feel the weight of just about everything on their shoulders.

2010 March 9, Lee G. Bolman, Terrence E. Deal, Reframing the Path to School Leadership: A Guide for Teachers and Principals, Corwin Press, →ISBN:

He hopped across and went to lift Mari, but she shook her head and jumped over [by] herself.

2018, Emiko Jean, Empress of All Seasons, HMH Books For Young Readers, →ISBN, page 40:


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:


Tia

Invented in the latter half of the twentieth century. It can be explained as a short form of Letitia or Venetia, or from Estonian Tiia, pet form of Dorothea.


Stan

en-proper noun

Stan (countable and uncountable, plural Stans)

Stan Jessop taught at a different school now but lived in the same small 1930s semi-detached as he had done ten years ago. Stan made him sound like an old allotment guy but he was only thirty-six.

2010, Kate Atkinson, Case Histories: (Jackson Brodie), Random House, →ISBN, page 307:

A diminutive of the male given name Stanley.

A diminutive of the male given name Stanislav.


Tánaiste

From Irish tánaiste (“second-in-command, tanist”). Doublet of tanist.

bor

On Thursday, the tánaiste, or deputy prime minister, Micheál Martin, described the personal abuse directed at lawmakers and their staff as “absolutely vile” and said some of the behaviour was “fascist-like”, Irish media reported.

2023 September 21, Emma Graham-Harrison, “Alarm over ‘fascist-like’ protest at Ireland’s seat of government”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland


Rhea

A female given name from Ancient Greek in occasional use.


Petra

A feminine form of Peter, identical with Late Latin petra (“stone”); came into regular use in the 19th century.


Pinyin

20th c., from Mandarin Chinese 拼音 (pīnyīn, literally “spelled sounds”).

The Chinese government began using the new system Jan. 1 in all its foreign language publications, including the English-language service of the New China News Agency. This is an important source for American journalists writing about China. The United Nations and U.S. government agencies have adopted the new spellings called by the Chinese "Pinyin" meaning "phonetic spelling."[…]
The old spelling system, named the Wade-Giles system after the two 19th century Britons who developed it, made correct pronunciation unnecessarily difficult. It used apostrophes to distinguish aspirated consonants, such as p'ai pronounced with a "p" sound, from unaspirated, such as pai pronounced with a "b" sound. The new Pinyin system eliminates this distinction, which most newspapers ignored anyway. "Beijing" is much closer to the Chinese pronunciation that "Peking", and Vice Premier "Deng" is better rendering than "Teng." But the new system uses some letters in ways that still confuse English speakers. Thers difficult letters are: "c" which should be prounced in this system like the "ts" in "its"; "q" which should be pronounced like the "ch" in "cheek"; "x" which should be pronounced like the "sh" in "she"; and "zh" which should be pronounced like the "j" in "jump".[…]
Reading the alphabetized words still presents problems for the Chinese, however, because the spellings do not distinguish the flur separate tones in the Chinese language that can significantly change meaning. The word "ma" can mean "mother", "horse", or "scold", depending on what tone is used. Under the Pinyin system, two neighboring provinces of northern China are both spelled "Shanxi". In this special case, one of the provinces is now spelled "Shaanzi", to indicate a different tone in the first syllable.

1979 March 5, Jay Mathews, “China Is China, But Hangchow Is Hangzhou”, in The Washington Post, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-12-29:

People’s Republic of China
People's Republic of China

A system of romanization for Standard Mandarin, used in the People’s Republic of China, and more recently in other Mandarin Chinese-speaking areas as well.


Pinyin

For quotations using this term, see Citations:Pinyin.

A phonetic script or romanization system for various languages spoken in the People's Republic of China, e.g. Tibetan


Pinyin

A Grassfields Bantu language of Cameroon.


Sy

(astronomy) Abbreviation of Seyfert galaxy., a type of AGN class of active galaxy.


Sy

Philippine Hokkien
Philippine Spanish
Seyfert galaxies

From Philippine Spanish Sy, from Philippine Hokkien 施 (Si). Doublet of See, Sze, Siy, and Shi.

A Chinese Filipino surname from Spanish [in turn from Hokkien]


Salina

Uncertain, possibly a variant of, or a coinage inspired by, Selina. The place name seems an unlikely source.


Tucker

en-proper noun

Tucker (countable and uncountable, plural Tuckers)


Vin

Short form of the male given name Vincent.


Tilly

Tilly's name is Matilda. It was typical of Mum and Dad that they wouldn't let her be called Tilly when she came to them because that was the unusual shortening of Matilda, the unconventional one, and you never did unconventional things, you never did things to draw attention to yourself. So they called her Matty.

1990, Barbara Vine, Gallowglass, Curley Pub, published 1991, →ISBN, page 24:

A diminutive of the female given name Matilda.


Tone

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


Una

Anglicized form of Irish Úna. Doublet of Oona.

Who after that he had faire Una lorne, / Through light misdeeming of her loialtie, / And false Duessa in her sted had borne, […]

1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 2:


Wat

A medieval English given name, short for Walter or from the Anglo-Saxon name Watt.


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:


Vi

FLO: What do you think of Vi?
RU: I see little change.

Vi would be home soon. Any minute, really.

A diminutive of the female given names Violet and Viola.


Vote

From German Wote, ultimately from Votic vadʹdʹa, vadʹdʹalain (“Votian”). Compare Estonian vadjalane.

A person from Votia or of Votic descent.


Su

"I am sure nobody would mind," said Susan; "it isn't as if we wanted to take them out of the house; we shan't take them even out of the wardrobe." "I never thought of that, Su," said Peter.

1950, C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Fontana Lions, published 1980, →ISBN, page 54:

A diminutive of the female given name Susan and of its variant forms.


Willow

Before he died her father had run a nursery just outside the town. He loved trees so much he'd even named his two daughters and one son after them: Willow, Ashley and Oak.

1992, Martha Grimes, The End of the Pier, page 132:

A female given name from English of modern usage.


Woody

A diminutive of the male given name Woodrow


Sue

A diminutive of the female given name Susan and of related female given names; popular as a middle name.


Wile

From Middle English wile, an occupational surname for a trapper or a nickname for a wily person.

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Summer

(countable) A female given name from English of modern usage, from summer, the name of the season, often given to girls born in summer.


Tonto

From Spanish tonto (“fool, idiot”), the Spanish name for the tribe, a calque of Western Apache kounʼnde (“wild rough people”). The fictional character (described as Comanche or Potawatomi) either from Potawatomi or named after Tonto Basin, Arizona.

cal

(fiction) The Native American sidekick of the Lone Ranger.


Tonto

They called Indians like him — that is, any Indian who tried to make it by working within the system — a "Tonto."

1982, Iron Eyes Cody with Collin Perry, Iron Eyes, my life as a Hollywood Indian:

Once more, Beyond the Survey takes up the topic, introducing a character Mowees (obviously an "Indianificarion" of the common Metis name Moise) who unfortunately never rises above the level of a Tonto figure.

1999, Ellenor Ranghild Merriken, Looking for country: a Norwegian immigrant's Alberta memoir, page 21:

Law Schools, a critical race theorist likened Kennedy to a Tonto figure, the fictional Indian whose loyalty to the Lone Ranger set him apart from, if not against, his tribe.

2002, Jim Sleeper, Liberal racism, page 130:

An example: The Black Panther Chairman abuses the black Supreme Court Justice (the latter having just denied a Cleaver plea) as an "Uncle Tom, a bootlicker, a nigger pig, a Tonto, and a punk."

2003, Benjamin DeMott with Arthur Asa Berger, Supergrow: essays and reports on imagination in America, page 11:

But clearly she's a Two Hearts, not a Tonto.

2007, Lisa Alther, Kinfolks: falling off the family tree, page 20:

In the best circumstances, he was devastatingly witty and slyly subversive; in the worst, he was merely a Tonto with an Afro.

2007, Jabari Asim, The N word: who can say it, who shouldn't, and why, page 185:

A Native American who accepts a subservient position to a white person.


Wade

In due time, Charles' son was born and, because it was fashionable to name boys after their fathers' commanding officers, he was called Wade Hampton Hamilton.

1936 June 30, Margaret Mitchell, chapter VII, in Gone with the Wind, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, →OCLC; republished New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, 1944, →OCLC:


Martin

en-proper noun

Martin (countable and uncountable, plural Martins)

From Middle English Martin, from Latin Mārtīnus (“of or like Mars” or “little Mars”), Mārs, Mārtis + -īnus (diminutive suffix). See Mārs for further etymology.

af

Expect Saint Martin's summer, halcyon days, / Since I have entered into these wars.

Luther was not born in the year 1483, but in 84; and not on the 22nd day of October, but on the 10th of November, the eve of Martinmas day, from whence he had the name of Martin. - - - Now you see, brother Toby, he would say, looking up, "that christian names are not such indifferent things;" - Had Luther here been called by any other name but Martin, he would have been damned to all eternity - Not that I look upon Martin, he would add, as a good name - far from it - 'tis something better than a neutral, and but a little - yet little as it is, you see it was of some service to him.

1767 Laurence Sterne, Tristram Shandy, Book IV ( Slawkenbergius's Tale )

What splendid names for boys there are! / There's Carol like a rolling car, / And Martin like a flying bird,/

1933, Eleanor Farjeon, “Boys' Names”, in Over the Garden Wall, Faber and Faber, page 90:

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.

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

A male given name from Latin originally given in honor of a fourth century soldier-saint.


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.


Val

“Vals are everywhere,” Miss Zappa said the other afternoon in a telephone interview from the Zappas' Hollywood Hills home. She also reported that Vals are “jealous of Brooke Shields and secretly want to go to New York.”

1982 September 15, Moon Zappa, quotee, “They're Clothes Crazy, Fer Sure; Valley Girls aren't just in California”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:


Willie

Well agreed, Willie; then sit thee down, swain;
Such a song never heardest thou but Colin sing.

1579, Edmund Spenser, The Shepherd's Calendar: August:

Not one of his old friends but had been taken to task, in Willie's familiar note of boyish plaintiveness: "Why don't you call me by my own name? I never did like 'Willie' - 'William' isn't so bad. But the other sounds like pinafores and bed sheets."

1921 George Jean Nathan, Henry Mencken: The Smart Set: A Magazine of Cleverness. Item notes:v64:1(Jan.1921):page 4

But the professor's voice had risen slightly in a question as he read "Jimmy Willie Hall" off the class card. The professor had intended no rudeness and he made this clear by nodding in acknowledgement to Jim's "Heah", but someone in the back of the room had sniggered and this churlishness to a stranger had embarrassed Ellen, embarrassed all the more because she, too, had smiled at the ludicrous sound.

1970, Tony Hillerman, The Blessing Way, page 139:

A diminutive of the male given name William

Most of the names sounded white. There was Willie Mae Jones, Leroy Washington, Roosevelt Tucker, Bessie Lou Bean, and a few other black names. But the list looked awfully pale.

1989, John Grisham, A Time To Kill, Island Books, published 1996, →ISBN, page 308:

A diminutive of the female given name Wilhelmina or a feminine diminutive of William, often in the form Willie Mae.


Whig

From Whiggamore, possibly from Scots whiggamore (“horse driver”), from whig (“to drive”) + mare.

whig

a member of an 18th- and 19th-century political party

(UK politics, historical) A member of an 18th- and 19th-century political party in Britain that was opposed to the Tories, and eventually became the Liberal Party.

(UK politics, rare) A member (especially a politician) of the former Liberal Party or its successor, the Liberal Democrats.


Yago

From Spanish Yago, from Latin Iācōbus (“James”), from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (ya‘ăqṓḇ, “Jacob”, literally “he will/shall heel”), from עָקֵב (‘āqḗḇ, “heel”) and the Biblical account of the patriarch Jacob's birth in Genesis 25:26. Doublet of Iago, Jago, James, Jacob, and Jacques.


Zak

A diminutive of the male given names Zachariah or Zachary


Willy

A male given name, diminutive of William.


Ward

en-proper noun

Ward (countable and uncountable, plural Wards)

* As an English surname, from the noun ward and related cognates such as warden, guard etc.
* As an Irish surname, reduced from McWard, from mac an bard (“son of the poet”).
* As a Jewish surname, adapted from Warshawski, named after Warsaw. Comparable to Warszawski.
* As a French surname, Americanized from Guerin.


Zarina

From Tatar Зара (Zara). Cognate with Persian زر (zar, “gold”), زرین (zarin, “golden”), Old Church Slavonic злато (zlato), and Russian зо́лото (zóloto).


Tigre

A Semitic language of northern Eritrea, closely related to Tigrinya.


Ty

Clipping of Tyrone, Tyler, Tyson, Tyron, and other male given names beginning with "Ty".

clipping of

A diminutive of the male given name Tyrone, Tyler, Tyson, Tyron, and other male given names beginning with "Ty"


Tash

A female given name; diminutive of Natasha


Yay

A branch of the Tai language family, spoken by the Bouyei and Giáy people.


Tewa

Borrowed from Spanish Tegua, Tehua, from Tewa Tewa or Hopi Teewa.

A member of an indigenous people of New Mexico and Arizona.


Tewa

The traditional language of the Tewa people.


Tewa

A Trans-New Guinea language of Indonesia.


Terra

From Latin Terra (“goddess of the earth; the land itself”).


Zoe

Rosalie smiled faintly, and at the clapping of her hands, the raven-haired Zoe, in all her surpassing beauty, entered the apartment.

1833, Lloyd Wharton Bickley, Zoe, or the Sicilian Sayda: A Romance, Key&Biddle, page 112:

"Who ever heard of a girl named Zoe! You never did yourself." ¶ "I know I never did, Roy Kemble, but just the same I think it is the most beautiful name in the world. It isn't so much what it really means; names don't have to mean anything - it's what it feels like it means.

1921, Fannie Hurst, Stardust, BiblioBazaar, LLC, published 2007, →ISBN, page 20:

A female given name from Ancient Greek, of common usage, variant of Zoë.


Jack

en-proper noun

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 from Hebrew, also used as a pet form of John or more rarely, Jacob.

An unincorporated community in Coffee County, Alabama, United States.

An unincorporated community in Dent County, Missouri, United States.

Ellipsis of Monterey Jack., a type of cheese.


Jack

all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

When he went home on leave he rioted on a large scale—pompously. Jack ashore—with a difference—in externals only.

1899, Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness, section 1:

(informal, archaic) Ellipsis of Jack Tar., a sailor.


Rosa

A female given name from Latin; a Latinized variant of Rose.


Uno

Borrowed from Japanese 宇野 (Uno) or うの (Uno).


Tom

→ Tokelauan: Toma

From Middle English Thomme. Hypocorism of Thomas.

Poor Tom's a-cold.

c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv]:

"Good,—that's a whack. What's your name?"
"Becky Thatcher. What's yours? Oh, I know. It's Thomas Sawyer."
"That's the name they lick me by. I'm Tom when I'm good. You call me Tom, will you?"

1876, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter VI, in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Hartford, Conn.: The American Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 70:

What I'm worrying about is what Tom says when he starts talking."
"Uncle Tom?"
"I wish there was something else you could call him except 'Uncle Tom'," said Aunt Dahlia a little testily. "Every time you do it, I expect to see him turn black and start playing the banjo."

1934, P. G. Wodehouse, Right Ho, Jeeves:

"We're not sure - we were expecting a girl for some reason. But we're thinking of something simple like Tom."
"Thomas?"
"No, just Tom."

2008, David Park, The Truth Commissioner, →ISBN, page 366:

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


Turner

Turner (countable and uncountable, plural Turners)

From Middle English Turner, Turnur, Turnure, Turnour, from Middle English turner, turnare, tornere, an occupational surname for a turner or tumbler.


Svan

A South Caucasian language of Caucasian Georgia, related to Georgian, Laz, and Mingrelian.


Zia

(Arabic name): Borrowed from Arabic ضِيَاء (ḍiyāʔ, “light”) via Spanish.

A male given name from Arabic popular among Muslims.


Winter

Winter (countable and uncountable, plural Winters)


Tat

Ultimately from Proto-Turkic *tāt (“alien, stranger, pagan”).

der

A southwestern Iranian language spoken by the Tat people.


Violet

A 19th century flower name from violet, sometimes as an anglicisation of the earlier French Violette.

It may be as well to say, by way of parenthesis, that her real name was Violante,―at least, such was the name by which her mother had her christened. But her father thought it much too long, and said it was better to call her Violet.

1836, Marian Dora Malet Beasley, Violet Woodville, Carey, Lea & Blanchard, page 16:

Her Pakeha name was Violet, and everybody called her that because her Maori name was too long. And my Nanny, she was just like a violet; shy and small and hiding her face in her petals if the sun blazed too strong.

1972, Witi Ihimaera, Pounamu, Pounamu, Heinemann, →ISBN, page 111:

My name is Violet Brown. - - - If I sound colorful, I am not. It's nought but a pair of names, stamped on me by two people who never met. First, my mother. She was fond of romantic novels with "Violets" in them.

2009, Barbara Kingsolver, The Lacuna, Faber and Faber, →ISBN, page 262:


Estonian

en-noun

Estonian (countable and uncountable, plural Estonians)

(uncountable) The Uralic language that is the official language of Estonia.


Walker

en-proper noun

Walker (countable and uncountable, plural Walkers)

A male given name transferred from the surname.


White

White (countable and uncountable, plural Whites)

* As an English surname, from Middle English White, as a nickname for someone with white hair or pale complexion; in some cases from a personal name of the same meaning. See the modern adjective white.
* Also as an English surname, from Old English *wiht (“bend”), found only in placenames, a derivative of the verb wican (“to yield, bend”); compare Wight.
* As a Scottish Gaelic and Irish surname, used as a translation of several Gaelic names containing the element bán and geal, including Mac Giolla bháin (McElwain, Kilbane), Ó Gealagáin (Galligan), Bán (Bane), and Ó Banáin (Bannon).
* Also as a Scottish and Irish surname, an Anglicization of Irish de Faoite, itself from Anglo-Norman le White, le Whyte, from the same source as the English surname.

White (disambiguation)#Places in the United States

A minor city in Bartow County, Georgia; named for its first postmaster.


Titian

Anglicized form of Italian Tiziano, from Latin Titiānus.


Zo

A language spoken in Myanmar and India, especially in Chin State, Mizoram and Manipur, and adjoining parts of Bangladesh.


Sol

Sol (named after the solar eclipse on the day of his birth) was born in March 2015 with an undetected clot in his upper left arm.

2017 March 1, Marc Waddington, “How dad’s bionic arm invention is changing son’s life & prosthetics”, in Daily Post, № 51,073, page 6/2:


Sol

“Chock full o’ science,” said the radiant Captain, “as ever he was! Sol Gills, Sol Gills, what have you been up to, for this many a long day, my ould boy?”

1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC:

A diminutive of the male given name Solomon.


Si

From clipping of various words beginning with the syllable /saɪ/.

A diminutive of the male given name Simon.

A diminutive of the male given name Silas.


Warren

en-prop

Warren (countable and uncountable, plural Warrens)

From the Anglo-Norman surname (de) Warenne, a reference to a place called Varenne, a hamlet near Arques-la-Bataille, along the river Varenne in Normandy, from Medieval Latin Warinna, a hydronym of Celtic/Gaulish origin, from *var-, *ver- (“river, water”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wer- (“water, rain, flow”); see also the Latin river Avara. Phonetic Germanic influence is shown by the [v] > [w].

der

A male given name from the Germanic languages.


Star

* As a German and Jewish surname, from Star (“starling”).
* Also as a German and Jewish surname, semantic loan from German Stern (“star”).
* As a Dutch surname, from star (“stiff, rigid”).
* As a Slovene surname, from star (“old”).
* As an English given name, from star, sometimes originating as a nickname.

semantic loan

Emily Byrd Starr — Starr should be your first name. You look like a star—you have a radiant sort of personality shining through you— ... I think I shall call you Star.

1923, Lucy Maud Montgomery, The Emily Starr Series; All Three Novels: Emily of New Moon, Emily Climbs and Emily's Quest, Read Books Ltd, →ISBN:

Stella was always an original. I don't think she went on to university but I'm sure she's doing something interesting with her life. She calls herself Star now.

2019 February 7, Elly Griffiths, The Stone Circle: The Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries 11, Hachette UK, →ISBN:


Job

From Latin Iob, from Ancient Greek Ἰώβ (Iṓb), from Biblical Hebrew אִיּוֹב (ʾiyyōḇ), related to אָיַב (ʾāyaḇ, “to be an enemy”) and אוֹיֵב (ʾōyēḇ, “enemy”).


Wal

A diminutive of the male given name Wally

A diminutive of the male given name Wallace

A diminutive of the male given name Walter


Roger

From Old French Rogier, from the Frankish equivalent of Old English Hrōþgār (see Hroðgar), from Proto-Germanic *Hrōþigaizaz (“fame-spear”). Compare also Rutger.

By her I claim the kingdom: she was heir / To Roger, Earl of March, who was the son / Of Edmund Mortimer.

1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:

Pringle didn't say anything about Roger always being called Hodge. He sensed that Mr. Liddon wouldn't call him Hodge any more than he would call him Pringle. He was right. "Parents well, are they, Peregrine?" - - -
Hodge capered about, his thumbs in his ears and his hand flapping. "Tweet, tweet, mad bird. His master chains him up like a dog. Tweet, tweet, birdie!" "I'd rather be a hunting falcon than Roger the lodger the sod," said Pringle.

1985, Ruth Rendell, The New Girlfriend: The Fen Hall, pages 124, 127:


Piers

A Middle English vernacular form of Peter, from Old French Piers, from Pierre. Doublet of Pedro, Peter, and Boutros.


spacy

en-adj

spacy (comparative spacier, superlative spaciest)

spacier (comparative)
spaciest (superlative)


Smith

en-proper noun

Smith (countable and uncountable, plural Smiths)

⇒ Translingual: smithi, smithii

From smith or Middle English Smith (“a surname”), alternative form of Smyth, itself from smyth (“smith”). Doublet of Schmidt, Smid, and Smit.

Nallbani

surnames derived from the equivalents of “smith”


Stella

What lovely names for girls there are! / There's Stella like the Evening Star,

1933, Eleanor Farjeon, “Girls' Names”, in Over the Garden Wall, Faber and Faber, page 91:


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.


Yuki

Probably from Wintu yu·keh (“enemies; Yuki”)


Watt

A diminutive of the male given name Walter, of medieval usage, variant of Wat.


Rose

* As an English, Scottish, French, Walloon, Danish, Jewish (Yiddish רויז (royz)), and German surname, all from the noun rose. Also adapted from foreign forms of the same meaning such as Hungarian Rózsa, Rozsa, Slovak Róža, Czech Roza, etc. Compare Larose. The surname may be matronymic, but more probably topographic from residence by rose bushes or the sign of a rose, or a nickname from rosy complexion.
* Also as an English surname, from a Norman name of Germanic origins, likely made up of Proto-Germanic *hrod (“fame”) and *heid (“kind, sort, type”), ultimately evolved from *hrōþiz. Introduced to England in the form Roese or Rohese.
* As an English and Scottish surname, variant of Ross.
* As a Slovene surname, Americanized or Italianized from Rože, from a short form of Erazem (from Latin Erasmus), compare Rozman.

Celia: Therefore, my sweet Rose, my dear Rose, be merry.
Rosalind. From henceforth I will, coz, and devise sports.

Sentiment hallows the vowels of Delia; /Sweet simplicity breathes from Rose;

~1886 William Ernest Henley, A Ballade of Ladies' Names, Gleeson White:Ballades and Rondeaus, Read Books 1887, page 19

An aunt had arrived and her name was Rose and you could hear her voice clarion clear above the others, and you could imagine her warm and huge as a hothouse rose, exactly like her name, filling any room she sat in.

1957, Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine, Avon Books, published 1999, →ISBN, page 248:

Rose Ducton. Rosie Ducton. Philippa Rose Palfrey. A row of books with Rose Ducton on the spine. - - - Rose. It didn't even suit her. It was a name in a catalogue: Peace, Scarlet Wonder, Albertine. She had thought that she had got used to the knowledge that nothing about her was real, not even her name.

1980, P. D. James, Innocent Blood, Faber and Faber, →ISBN, page 170:


Pole

A person from Poland or of Polish descent.

лях

now sometimes slightly derogatory or ironic


Scotch

Contraction of Scottish.
The chess opening is supposedly after its having been played in a correspondence game between Edinburgh, Scotland, and London, England.

But Rob was just saying what a shame it was that folk should be shamed nowadays to speak Scotch – or they called it Scots if they did, the split-tongued sourocks!

1932, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Sunset Song (A Scots Quair), Polygon, published 2006, page 156:

(dated) The Scottish dialect of English.

The Scotch are a hardy bunch.


Scotch

en-noun

Scotch (countable and uncountable, plural Scotches)

Paul has drunk a lot of Scotch.

(uncountable) Whisky distilled in Scotland, especially from malted barley.


Scotch

Behind all his assumed unsocialism there lay a true warm heart; nor could anything be kindlier than the welcome which, whenever they did come to him, any of his Scotch relatives received.

1801, William Hanna, Memoirs of the life and writings of Thomas Chalmers, page 422:

our landlord informed us, with a sort of apologetic tone, that there was a Scotch gentleman to dine with us.


Van

'Beautiful idea,' said Van as he helped Ada to heat the tank, fill the old battered bath and warm a couple of towels.

A diminutive of the male given names Vance, Ivan, or Evan.

Van Zandt County
Van Zandt County#English

A city in Van Zandt County, Texas, United States.


Van

A diminutive of the female given name Vanessa.


Swede

From Middle Low German Swêde, from a Germanic word akin to Old Norse Svíþjóð, Old English Swēoþēod (“Sweden”, literally “Swede nation”), itself from Swēo (“Swede”), from Proto-Germanic *swihô (“Swede”). Cognate with Dutch Zweed, German Schwede.

cog

(historical) A member of an ancient North Germanic tribe that inhabited central Sweden

Svear

member of the ancient North Germanic tribe


Wolf

From Middle English and German short forms of given names containing the Germanic element "wolf".


Jessie

A clipping or hypochoristic form of Jessica.

A diminutive of the female given name Jessica.


Jessie

A hypochoristic form of Jane, Jean, etc., possibly under the influence of lassie or -ess and -ie. Doublet of Ivanka, Jan, Janelle, Janet, Janey, Janine, Jeanette, Jeanie, Jeannette, Jeannine, Jen, Jenna, Jenny, Jo, Jody, Juanita, Shanae, Sinead, and Vanna.


Jessie

Variant of Jesse, from Ancient Greek Ἰεσσαί (Iessaí), from Hebrew יִשַׁי (Yishai).

(US, eye dialect) A male given name from Hebrew, variant of Jesse.


Urban

en-proper noun

Urban (countable and uncountable, plural Urbans)

Latin Urbānus, name of eight early popes, from urbānus (“of the town or city, urbane”). Doublet of Orban.


Will

Shortened from William or, less often, from other given names beginning with Wil-, such as Wilfred or Willard.

Make but my name thy love, and love that still, / And then thou lov'st me, - for my name is Will.

1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 136”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC:

One of his neighbours opposite, a nice old guy with a stoop and a horrible little Yorkshire terrier, called him Bill - always had done and presumably always would, right up till the day he died. It actually irritated Will, who was not, he felt, by any stretch of the imagination, a Bill. Bill wouldn't smoke spliffs and listen to Nirvana. So why had he allowed this misapprehension to continue? Why hadn't he just said, four years ago, "Actually my name is Will"?

1998, Nick Hornby, About A Boy, Victor Gollancz, published 1998, →ISBN, page 208:

A male given name, a shortening of William; also used as a formal given name.


Romance

From Old French romanz (“vernacular language (of France)”), from Late Latin rōmānicē, from Latin rōmānicus < rōmānus + -icus. Extended in the 17th century to all languages derived from Latin.

uder

In this paper we will concentrate on the problem posed by Iberian Romance languages (i.e. Catalan, Portuguese, and Spanish), …

Eulàlia Bonet and Joan Mascaró, On the representation of contrasting rhotics, in: 1997, Fernando Martínez-Gil, Alfonso Morales-Front (eds.), Issues in the Phonology and Morphology of the Major Iberian Languages, p. 103ff., here p. 103

Of or dealing with languages or cultures derived from Roman influence and Latin: French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Galician, Romanian, Catalan, Occitan, etc.

roman

of or dealing with languages or cultures derived from Roman influence and Latin


Tuscan

From Middle English Tuscan, from Late Latin Tuscānus (“belonging to the Tusci”), a people of ancient Italy, from Tuscus, earlier *Truscus, shortened form of Etruscus (“Etruscan”).

der

Of or relating to Tuscany or its inhabitants.

тоскански

of or relating to Tuscany or its inhabitants

(architecture) Belonging to the simplest of the five classical orders of architecture, being a Roman modification of the Doric style, with unfluted columns, and without triglyphs.


Tuscan

en-noun

Tuscan (countable and uncountable, plural Tuscans)

A local variety of Italian spoken in Tuscany, on which Standard Italian is largely based.


Gypsy

A clipping of Gyptian (in Early Modern English roughly /ˈd͡ʒɪp.sɪ.æn/), itself an aphetic form of Egyptian, from Middle English Egipcian (“Egyptian”) (rarely Gypcian), from Old French egyptien, from Latin aegyptianus, from aegyptius (“Egypt”), because when Roma first appeared in England in the sixteenth century, they were wrongly believed to have come from Egypt. The Albanian evgjit, Greek γύφτος (gýftos), Italian gitano and Spanish gitano have the same origin. Doublet of Egyptian and Copt.
The other major categories of words for the Roma are cognates of Rom (words related to the Romani people's autonyms) and cognates of tzigane (words derived from Greek); see those entries for more information.

"Why, good afternoon, Miss Gypsy," said Sir Simms; "I'm surprised to see you such a warm day — very much surprised. But you always were a remarkable young lady ..."

1894, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, Gypsy Breynton, page 130:


Viola

Were you a woman as the rest goes even,
 I should my tears let fall upon your cheek,
 And say, ‘Thrice welcome, drowned Viola!’

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 V, scene i]:


Ruth

From Ruth the Moabite, Hebrew רות, of uncertain origin, possibly meaning "companion". Also associated with the English noun ruth (“compassion”) by Puritans.

Her face hardened.
"I despise pity."
"In spite of your name? Ruth is your name, isn't it? Piquant that. Ruth the ruthless."

1945, Agatha Christie, Sparkling Cyanide, HarperCollins, published 2010, →ISBN, page 30:

He pictured the woman as dark and Biblical, because of her name: Ruth. Shadowed eyes and creamy skin. Torrents of loose black hair.

1982, Anne Tyler, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, Fawcett Columbine, published 1996, →ISBN, page 134:

Ρούθ

in texts which don't use spiritus for capital letters at all


Yi

Any of a family of Tibeto-Burman languages spoken by this people.


Yi

Borrowed from Korean 이 (I) (based on the South Korean spelling), hanja: 李, also spelled 리 (Ri), especially in North Korea.

A surname from Korean. Equivalent to Chinese 李 (Lǐ)


Trinity

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


Valentine

en-proper noun

Valentine (countable and uncountable, plural Valentines)

From Latin Valentinus, from valeō (“I am strong, healthy”).

A male given name from Latin in quiet but steady use since the 16th century.

A female given name from Latin occasionally borrowed from French.

An English and Scottish surname derived from the male given name.

A number of places in the United States:

A census-designated place in Mohave County, Arizona.

An unincorporated community in Johnson Township, LaGrange County, Indiana.


March

March (usually uncountable, plural Marches)

Bislama: maj

→ Bengali: মার্চ (marco)

→ Burmese: မတ် (mat)

→ Chichewa: Malichi

→ Dari: مارچ (mârč)

→ Hausa: Maris

→ Hawaiian: Malaki

→ Hindi: मार्च (mārc)

→ Malay: Mac

→ Maori: Māehe

→ Marshallese: M̧aaj

→ Tokelauan: Māti

→ Tongan: Maʻasi

From Middle English March, Marche, borrowed from Anglo-Norman marche, from Old French marz, from Latin mensis Mārtius (“the Martian month”), from earlier Mavors.

der

“Kendall told me about a man named March Flack. A radio actor who disappeared years ago. I assumed that was here.”

2001, John Dunning, Two O'Clock, Eastern Wartime: A Novel, →ISBN, page 82:

Alexander Garden Jr., the long-serving rector of South Carolina's St. Thomas parish, twice advertised in 1747 to offer a reward for the return of an enslaved Igbo man named March, who had run away from the parsonage house.

2012, Travis Glasson, Mastering Christianity: Missionary Anglicanism and Slavery, →ISBN:

However, Patty seems to have been the only one of more than seventy slaves at Ossabaw Island who did not perform some duty on the plantation, which is evidence that elderly and disabled slaves were indeed put to work despite their impairments. The overseer's journals for Kollock's Ossabaw Island plantation allow us to trace the career of one disabled slave, a blind man named March, to demonstrate the utility of slaves with debilities. At the time Kollack was consolidating his assets on his new plantation, March was rated to be a "quarter hand," with no indication of what jobs he was expected to perform at that time. In the 1850 and 1851 journals, March is not included in tallies of cotton pickings by weight, unlike most other male slaves [...]

2013, Dea H. Boster, African American Slavery and Disability: Bodies, Property and Power, →ISBN:

What suited her much better was a young man named March whom she had met at a friend's wedding in London. Both Linda and March Hancock had grown up far east of Eden, [...] March Hancock was born in 1944 [...]

2016, Mary V. T. Cattan, Pilgrimage of Awakening: The Extraordinary Lives of Murray and Mary Rogers, →ISBN, page 157:

(uncommon) A male given name from English.


Suzy

A diminutive of Susan and of related female given names.


Adrianna

A female given name from Latin, variant of Adriana.


Zeppelin

Borrowed from German Zeppelin. Named after Ferdinand von Zeppelin, whose surname derives from the German town name Zepelin. Doublet of cepelinas.


Afghani

From Afghan + -i, or directly from Persian افغانی (“Afghan (nonstandard)”).

This is not the way Afghanis conduct business. For the Afghans, time is not of the essence.

2003, Jean-Michel Monod, quoted in Intercultural Management →ISBN, page 182

(uncommon, proscribed) An Afghan; a native, inhabitant or national of Afghanistan.


Vandal

From Latin Vandalus, named after the Germanic tribe, from Proto-Germanic *wandilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *wendʰ-eh₂-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wendʰ- (“to turn, wind, braid”). Also related to Old English Wendlas.

An extinct East Germanic language ascribed to have been spoken by the Vandals.


August

Bislama: ogis

Jamaican Creole: Augos, Aagos

Pitcairn-Norfolk: orgas

Tok Pisin: ogas

→ Burmese: ဩဂုတ် (au:gut)

→ Chichewa: Ogasiti

desctree

→ Dari: اگست (ogast)
→? Urdu: اگست (agast)

→ Hausa: Agusta

→ Hawaiian: ʻAukake

→ Hindi: अगस्त (agast)

→ Malay: Ogos

→ Maori: Ākuhata

→ Marshallese: O̧kwōj

→ 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.


Slav

From Middle English sclave, borrowed from Medieval Latin Sclavus, from Byzantine Greek Σκλάβος (Sklábos); see that entry for more. Doublet of slave and ciao. Displaced native Old English Wined.

(British, birdwatching) The Slavonian grebe.


Victor

From a Late Latin personal name Victor, borne by several saints, from victor (“conqueror”). Doublet of victor.

'Well, it's your mother who chose Victor. I never liked the name. It sounded a bit like boasting. I think it was because you were born on May something or other when we celebrate the day Germans surrendered.' 'I wasn't. I was born in September.' 'Oh, then there must have been another reason. Perhaps she thought to have you at all was her victory. Over me. I wasn't so keen on a child.'

1988, Graham Greene, The Captain and the Enemy, Penguin Classics, published 1999, →ISBN:


Sharon

Biblical place name, Hebrew שָׁרוֹן (šārōn, “the Sharon plain”).

der

A female given name from Hebrew derived from the biblical place name.

My name is Katie Jonas. I was born in Utica. My dad worked on a brickyard. I picked out the name Sharon Falconer while I was a stenographer.

1927, Sinclair Lewis, Elmer Gantry, Harcourt, Brace and Company, page 183:

The group suggested a number of reasons why a girl might not fit in to their community - for instance, if she wore white socks and had a name like 'Sharon'.

2001, Deborah Cameron, Working With Spoken Discourse, SAGE, →ISBN, page 157:

A unisex given name from Hebrew derived from the biblical place name.


Mack

(In sense one) From either the male name Mack or mack, itself from mackerel, which comes from Old French maquerel, from Dutch makelaar. Compare French mec.


San

As a synonym of Bushmen introduced into ethnology from the 1960s, from Khoekhoe saan (singular saa) "foragers; people without wealth", via back-formation from Khoisan. Occasional citation as the Nama term for "Bushmen" from the 1880s.

(regionally, offensive, ethnic slur) Any of the foraging non-Bantu ethnic groups of southwestern Africa.


Alisha

A modern spelling variant of Alicia, a Latinisation of Alice, from the Germanic Aliz, a short form of the Germanic Adelais, itself a short form of the Germanic Adalheidis, from adal (noble) and heid (type), thus of a noble kind.

A female given name from the Germanic languages.


Adele

Borrowed from French Adèle, equivalent of Adela, from a Germanic root meaning “noble”. Compare athel, German edel, Old English æþele.

The beauty and simplicity of names are altogether arbitrary: Mary and Elizabeth, and Judith, may suit a taste formed on the Puritan model, that is to say, an English and Scottish taste: the French consider Victoire, Adele, Adriane, or any other such “fanciful and romantic” names, quite as simple, and perhaps as beautiful, as Mr. Stuart does Mary and Jane.

1833, E. Littell, “On Grand Christian Names”, in The New Monthly Magazine, volume 1, page 211:


May

en-proper noun

May (countable and uncountable, plural Mays)

Bislama: mei

Pitcairn-Norfolk: Mieh

Tok Pisin: Mei

→ Bengali: মে (me)

→ Burmese: မေ (me)

→ Chichewa: Meyi

→ Dari: می (mey)

→ Hausa: Mayu

→ Hawaiian: Mei

→ Hindi: मई (maī)

→ Marshallese: Māe

→ Maori: Mei

→ Swahili: Mei

→ Tokelauan: Me

→ Tongan: Mē, Me

From Middle English May, Mai, from Old French mai, from Latin Maius (“Maia's month”), from Maia, a Roman earth goddess.

[…] I will not send Owen's Lily May to the almshouse." "Lily―what?" demanded Mrs. Morley rather sharply, for she was half provoked with what she mentally called Amy's whim of keeping the outcast child when she might send it to the asylum. "Lily May," said Amy, smiling. "Her name is Mary, and we called her first Little Mary, and then Little May. But Owen calls her Lily May."

1856, E. D. E. N. Southworth, The Widow's Son, T. B. Peterson, published 1867, page 210:

Their parents named them June and May because their birthdays occurred in those months. […] May was like the time of year in which she had been born, changeable, chilly and warm by turns, sullen yet able to know and show loveliness that couldn't last.

1982, Ruth Rendell, The Fever Tree and Other Stories, Hutchinson, →ISBN, page 119:

It's an awkward name: Isamay, pronounced Is-a-may. Isa is my paternal grandmother's name (shortened from Isabel) and May my maternal grandmother's (it comes, somehow, from Margaret). The amalgamation is, as you see, strictly alphabetical. Life, I feel, would have been much easier if they had chosen Maybel.

2010, Margaret Forster, Isa & May, Chatto & Windus, →ISBN, page 5:

A female given name, usually pet name for Mary and Margaret, reinforced by the month and plant meaning.


Ottoman

From Middle French Ottoman, from Medieval Latin Ottomanus, from Ottoman Turkish عثمان (osman), from the Arabic personal name عُثْمَان (ʕuṯmān). Osman is the Turkish spelling of the male Arabic given name Uthman, therefore the Ottoman Empire is sometimes referred to as the Osman Empire, Osmanic Empire, or Osmanian Empire, after Osman I.


interdict

From Middle English entrediten, from Old French entredire (“forbid”), from Latin interdīcō (“prohibit, forbid”), from inter- (“between”) + dīcō (“say”), from Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ-.

The Fife County Council, and other objectors, were successful in July [1950] in obtaining an interim interdict against this decision, but the Court of Session withdrew the interdict in January, and it was then stated that a civil court had no jurisdiction in the matter. […] Mr. Waller adds that when the railway was authorised in 1897, one of the clauses of the Act authorising the transfer of the line to the North British Railway provided that that company should work it in perpetuity, and it was this clause that caused the interim interdict to be granted.

1951 April, “Notes and News: North Fife Line, Scotland”, in Railway Magazine, number 600, page 281:

In May [1995], the court issued an interdict preventing the service withdrawal, pending consultation on the closure to passenger traffic of three short stretches of railway around Glasgow and its hinterland that were only used by the Fort William Sleeper - and for which BR had failed to invoke standard closure procedures.

2021 August 25, David Clough, “The Sleeper experience”, in RAIL, number 938, page 61:


Crystal

"Crystal's pretty. The name, I mean."
Jewel shook her head. "It doesn't look like her. She looks like Beaver Cleaver." […]
Crys chuckled. For the first time since she'd planted herself fiercely on Lusa's driveway that morning she sounded clear and transparent, like a child. Like the crystal she was.

2000, Barbara Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer, HarperCollins, →ISBN, pages 121, 298:

"No prob. I'm wired, anyway...Christa or Crystal. Why'd Kayla peg her for a stripper?"
"Because Gavin said she was a dancer," I said.
"Well," he said, "name a girl Crystal and what's more likely? That she'll get a Ph.D. in biomechanics, or end up shaking her tail for tips?"

2004, Jonathan Kellerman, Therapy, →ISBN, page 335:

Crystal just stood there with a semisad look on her face.

2013, Chuck Dozier, The Second Time Around, page 167:


Arran

Derived from Scottish Gaelic Arainn, but the name is ultimately probably of non-Indo-European (substrate) or Pictish origin, along with other uncertain names in Scotland such as Skye, Lewis, and Islay.
Possibly from a Brythonic/Pictish term ancestral or cognate to Middle Welsh aran (“"high place"”).

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


Noah

From Biblical Hebrew נֹחַ (nóakh, nṓaḥ).

Easy to account for those trends - but what of post-Vietnam America and its generation of little Noahs? Were we expecting a flood momentarily?

1984, Erica Jong, Parachutes & Kisses, →ISBN, page 354:


Noah

Root
 נ־ו־ע (n-w-ʿ)
From Biblical Hebrew נֹעָה (no`áh).


gimel

From Hebrew גימל (gimel); ultimately from Proto-Semitic word for a weapon which was debatably either a staff sling or a throwing stick. Doublet of gamma.

The third letter of the several Semitic alphabets (Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac).


Vera

Borrowed in the nineteenth century from the Russian virtue name Ве́ра (Véra, “faith”). By folk etymology it has also been explained as Latin vera (“true”).

Good night, my Vera. Mind, I shall always call you Vera. It sounds so Russian and nice, and is much prettier than Vere.

1880, Ouida, Moths, Elibron.com, published 2001, →ISBN, page 51:

I killed Vera Cross - - - .I had known her for about three months, and never ceased to wonder if her parents, when they gave her a name, had been totally illiterate or wilfully blasphemous.

1953 Eric Linklater, The House of Gair, J.Cape, page 214


Norn Iron

/ˈnɔːn ˈaɪɹən/

From an exaggerated pronunciation of Northern Ireland in a broad Belfast accent.

(Ireland, endearing slang) Northern Ireland.


Mark

Mark (countable and uncountable, plural Marks)

Translingual: markmitchelli

From Middle English Mark, from the Latin praenomen (i.e. first name) Mārcus, derived from Mārs, the Roman god of war, originally Māvors, from Proto-Italic *Māwortis.

"And your name?" she said, "I suppose it's quite unremarkable?" "Very funny." "Mark. It could stand as a symbol of a man, for men as a category," she reflected, "but I don't suppose that's why your mother gave it to you?" "My mother's motives always were impenetrable to me. I was her only child, she wanted a simple life. So she gave me a simple name to go along with it. --- It wasn't a popular name until the nineteenth century. People were put off by King Mark in the Tristram and Iseult."

1988, Ann Oakley, Men's Room, pages 25–26:


Leo

From Latin leō (“lion”), from Ancient Greek λέων (léōn). Doublet of Leon, leu, lev, lion, and Lyon.

doublet

A male given name from Latin, borne by numerous saints and 13 popes.


Judas

From Middle English Iudas, from Latin Iudas, from Ancient Greek Ἰούδας (Ioúdas), from Hebrew יְהוּדָה (y'hudá). Doublet of Judah.