Shelby

From a medieval name, of obscure origin, yet likely an alteration of Middle English Selby, Salibi (“dweller of the willow place”), from salwe (“willow, sallow”) + -by (“settlement, farm”).

unk

obscure

As they walked, Shelby reached down and gently took Alan's hand to hold. They warmly exchanged a smile with each other just before Shelby looked down and Alan blushed. Whenever she was with Alan he made her feel like an innocent girl again.

2008, Raymond Smith II, An American Odyssey, →ISBN, page 70:

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.

A female given name transferred from the surname.

A male given name transferred from the surname.

A city, the county seat of Toole County, Montana, United States.


Tracy

en-proper noun

Tracy (countable and uncountable, plural Tracys or Tracies)

A Norman baronial surname from places in France, derived from a Gallo-Roman given name Thracius which referred to Thrace + the Celtic suffix *-āko (place, property). As a female given name, it is also known as a diminutive of Theresa.

A male given name transferred from the surname, of occasional 19th century and later usage.

"That's her real name, you know. I mean, a lot of girls working the topless joints, they take exotic, sexy names...well, Tiffany Carter, for example...but that was the name Tracy was born with."

1985, Ed McBain, Snow White and Rose Red, page 130:

Her name was Theresa (often Tracy) Oldenburg and she had eyes only for another young man, Richard Puls.

1993, Wayne C. Lee, Bad Men and Bad Towns, Caxton Press, →ISBN, page 144:

A female given name transferred from the surname, popular in the 1960s and 1970s.


Antonia

Audio

From Spanish Antonia. The feminine equivalent of Anthony.

Mom, I ask, will you call me Ant.
"Oh, Antonia," my mother sighs. Her face looks pained. She is quiet for a few moments and then she says, "Antonia is such a lovely name. When I named you, you were the sweetest, most perfect little baby. - - - "

2001, Gennifer Choldenko, Notes from a Liar and her Dog, Scholastic, published 2002, →ISBN, page 212:


Dylan

From Welsh mythology; possibly from Celtic for "son of the sea" or "born from the ocean." Unrelated to the name Dillon, although the homophony may result in the two being considered variant spellings of the same name.


izhitsa

The obsolete Cyrillic letter Ѵ, ѵ, formerly used in Russian to represent upsilon in borrowed words.


Great North Road

Upon the very same night when Nancy, having lulled Mr. Sikes to sleep, hurried on her self-imposed mission to Rose Maylie, there advanced towards London by the Great North Road two persons, upon whom it is expedient that this history should bestow some attention.

(British) The A1 (partially the A1(M)) road from London to Edinburgh


Mazanderani

The Mazanderani language, a northwestern Iranian language closely related to Persian.


Denys

(rare) A male given name from Ancient Greek, an alternative spelling of Denis


Naphtali

From Biblical Hebrew נַפְתָּלִי (naftalí), a son of Jacob. Compare Arabic نافس (“to compete with”).


Edomite

[ˈiɾɪ̈mʌɪ̯t̚]

A Canaanite Semitic language spoken by the Edomites in southwestern Jordan in the first millennium BCE, extinct from the 6th century BCE.


Laban

From Middle English Laban, from Latin Laban, from Koine Greek Λάβαν (Lában), from Biblical Hebrew לָבָן (Lāḇān).

A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Asher

Pottawatomie County
Pottawatomie County#English

A town in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States.


Bilhah

A female given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Zebulun

Old Testament Hebrew זְבֻלוּן (zebulun), a son of Jacob.


Melvin

Variant of the Scottish surname Melville, from a place name Malleville in Normandy, from Latin mala (“bad”) + Old French ville (“settlement”).
* Used to Anglicize Mac Gille Beathain in Scotland and Ó Maoil Mhín in Ireland.

And for some reason, they called me Pete. My mother, who probably dug up the name Melvin from some romantic novel about Englishmen drinking tea, cringed at the "Pete".

1976, Melvin Belli, My Life on Trial: An Autobiography, Morrow, →ISBN, page 21:


Issachar

/ˈɪ.səˌkɑː(ɹ)/

From Biblical Hebrew יִשָּׂשׁכָר (“Issachar”), a son of Jacob.


Simeon

From Middle English Simeon, from Latin Simeon, from Ancient Greek Σῠμεών (Sumeṓn), from Biblical Hebrew שִׁמְעוֹן (šimʿôn, “hearkening, listening”), originally referring to Simeon, a son of Jacob. Doublet of Simon.


Lenore

[…] sorrow for the lost Lenore — / For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore — / Nameless here for evermore.

1845 February, — Quarles [pseudonym; Edgar Allan Poe], “The Raven”, in The American Review, volume I, number II, New York, N.Y., London: Wiley & Putnam, […], →OCLC:

A female given name, variant of Eleanor.


Corinne

From the French equivalent of Corinna, from Ancient Greek κόρη (kórē, “girl, maiden, daughter”).


Gilead

"That's Gil's name: Gilead Bryan. I'd been assuming it was Gilbert." Nandina stopped stirring the soup and said, "Gilead. Like the song?"

2012, Anne Tyler, The Beginner's Goodbye, Chatto & Windus, →ISBN, pages 92–93:

A male given name from Hebrew in occasional use.


Claud

en-proper noun

Claud (countable and uncountable, plural Clauds)


Andre

A male given name from French, an anglicized form of André.


Dwayne

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


Devin

* As an Irish, English, and French surname, spelling variant of Devine. Also see Devon.
* Also as a French surname, from devin (“fortuneteller”).
* As a Russian surname, from дева (deva, “maiden”).

A male given name transferred from the surname, of modern usage, or a variant of Devon.


Duane

Anglicized form of the Irish name Dubhán, from dubh (“black, dark”).

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Corey

An English surname from Old Norse from the Old Norse given name Kóri, itself perhaps from Old Irish Cuire, from cuire (“troop, host, company”), from Proto-Celtic *koryos (“army, tribe”), from Proto-Indo-European *ker- (“army”).

Miss Carroll's popularity doesn't end with her on-screen performances in the show which co-stars young Marc Copage as her precocious six-year-old son, Corey Baker, whose father Capt. Baker was killed in Vietnam.

1968 October 17, Jet, volume 35, number 2, page 61:

"I'm Millicent Banning and —" she pushed Corey forward "— this is my daughter Catherine, but we all call her Corey."

1996, Barbara Bretton, Guilty Pleasures, Mira Books, →ISBN, page 156:

(rare) A female given name transferred from the surname, variant of Cori.


Bryce

A male given name from the Celtic languages, variant of Brice.


Brice

A male given name from the Celtic languages, a variant of Bryce.

A male given name from the Celtic languages transferred from the surname.

A male given name from French transferred from the surname.


Dillon

From the Irish surname, from Breton Leon and Norman Léon, named after Sir Henry de Leon of the Viscounty of Léon. Related to the surname Lyon. Unrelated to the name Dylan, although the homophony may result in the two being considered variant spellings of the same name.


Collin

Collin (countable and uncountable, plural Collins)

A male given name from Ancient Greek, variant of Colin.


Dwight

Probably from a Middle English female name Diot, a pet form of Dionysia, the feminine form of Dionysius.

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


Claus

From Dutch and German Claus, a contraction of Nicolaus (“Nicholas”). The spelling Klaus is from more modern German Klaus and other Germanic languages.


Dominic

From Late Latin Dominicus, derived from Dominus (“Lord”).

A male given name from Latin, best known for the Spanish saint who founded the Dominican order.


septal

(archaeology, of a stone or slab) Separating compartments in a burial chamber.


septal

[…] and in Ireland it so happened, that these four families emerged victorious out of the septal struggles.

1878, Standish James O'Grady, History of Ireland: The Heroic Period, volume 1, page 46:

(relational) Relating to an Irish clan or sept.


Klaus

A male given name from Ancient Greek, an alternative spelling of Claus.


Winnipegger

/ˈwɪnəˈpɛɡəɹ/

When a Winnipegger gets his wagon stuck in one of them, he loosens the traces and lets the horses scramble out; and then, pulling off his clothes, goes in to extricate the vehicle, which, by the skillful use of ropes, he usually accomplishes.

1880 May, “The Red River of the North”, in Harper's, volume 60, number 360, page 814:

Our tears were shed on behalf of the Winnipegger who has himself photographed in the shaggy buffalo coat.

A citizen of Albert Lea, Minn., calls himself an Albert Lean; . . . one of Winnipeg, Man., is a Winnipegger.

1948, H. L. Mencken, “What the People of American Towns Call Themselves”, in American Speech, vol 23 no 3/4 (Oct-Dec):

The 19-year-old Winnipegger just signed his first pro hockey contract, a three-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche.

2007 May 11, Paul Friesen, “Wheat King crowned”, in Winnipeg Sun:

A native or resident of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.


Ottawan

A native or inhabitant of Ottawa, the capital city of Canada.


Edmontonian

(uncountable) A North American faunal stage occurring during the late Cretaceous.


Ayden

A male given name from Irish, a new American spelling variant of Aidan.


Daryl

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


Dominick

A male given name from Latin, variant of Dominic.


Ashlyn

An anglicized form of Irish Aisling (“dream, vision”).


Darragh

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Dubhdarach (“descendant of Dubhdarach”), a personal name composed of the elements dubh (“black”) and darach, genitive of dair (“oak”).


Brayden

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


Alaina

A variant of Alana coined in the 20th century from Alain, the French equivalent of Alan.

A female given name from the Celtic languages.


Alannah

Modern variant of Alana, the feminine form of Alan. Also associated with the affectionate Anglo-Irish term of address alanna (“child”). The spelling is influenced by names of Hebrew origin such as Hannah and Susannah.


Adeline

From Old French Adeline, a diminutive form of Adela and Adele brought to England by the Normans.

"That's my own corner...In it I have always called you Adeline." "Please don't say Adelyne. I am accustomed to Adeleen." "I suppose that's why I pronounce it Adelyne."

1944, Mazo de la Roche, The Building of Jalna, Dundurn Press Ltd, published 2009, →ISBN, page 149:

A female given name from the Germanic languages.


Addie

A diminutive of the female given names Adele, Adeline, Adelaide, or Addison.


Avery

From Anglo-Norman Averay, Auveray, Alverey, from Latin Alveredus, Aluredus, from Old English Ælfræd, from ælf (“elf”) and ræd (“counsel”). Doublet of Alfred.

A male given name from Old French or transferred from the surname.

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

Montmorency County
Montmorency County#English

A number of places in the United States:

A township in Montmorency County, Michigan.

Red River County
Red River County#English


Sylvester

Borrowed from Latin sylvester (“woody, rural”) from silva (“wood”); name of a saint whose feast day falls on December 31.

A male given name from Latin used in English since the sixteenth century.


Dara

An Irish saint's name, from Irish Dáire. Also a Persian male name equivalent to Darius.


Adriana

Some other mistress hath thy sweet aspects, / I am not Adriana, nor thy wife

c. 1594 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Comedie of Errors”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:

A female given name from Latin or Etruscan, a feminine form of Adrian.


Alana

Feminine form of Alan (from Alan + -a). In regular use since the 20th century.


Arlene

A nineteenth-century coinage probably based on similar-sounding names such as Charlene and Arlette.

Mama hated her own name, Arlene. "Arlene, Marlene, Darlene, they're all hayseed names," she deplored. Even more than Arlene, she hated Lena, which she'd been called in school, growing up.

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

A female given name originating as a coinage.


Adela

Latinate form of French Adèle, short form of Germanic compound names beginning with Proto-Germanic *aþalaz (“noble”). Compare Old English æþele, English athel.


Annika

A female given name from Swedish [in turn from Hebrew], a Swedish diminutive form of Anna.


Anita

From Spanish Anita, diminutive of Ana (“Ann”).

My Aunt said she had some sense of the fitness of things and that she could not call a great, fat, quiet, blonde child a little, quick, dark name like Anita, and it wasn't what my mother had named me anyway.

1906, McClure's Magazine, volume 27, S.S. McClure Limited, page 425:


Brittney

A female given name transferred from the place name, variant of Brittany.


Carole

A female given name from French from the French form of Carol.


Dianne

A female given name from Latin, variant of Diane.


Gayle

A female given name, a fanciful spelling of Gail, shortened form of Abigail.

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

A South African argot (jargon) used in South African gay and same-sex communities, primarily by Indo-European based speakers.


Gwendoline

A female given name from Welsh, an anglicized form of Welsh Gwendolen.


Johnathan

A male given name from Hebrew, of uncommon usage, variant of Jonathan.


Joann

Alternative form of Joanna, a female given name.

Alternative form of Joanne, a female given name.


Glenda

Coined in the twentieth century from Welsh glân (“holy, fair”) and da (“good”).


Edmond

A male given name from Old English, a French style variant of Edmund.


Delores

(US) A female given name from Spanish, variant of Dolores.


Erma

A female given name from the Germanic languages, of rare usage, variant of Irma.


Bette

"Jack, couldn't you call me Bette again? You know how much I hate Bess. I don't know what's happened; you've been calling me Bette since we came to California and now, suddenly, you're calling me Bess."
There's a long silence. Dad's still up on his knees; I'm driving along Sepulveda Boulevard toward Olympic.
"Well, Bette, I married you as Bess and I've always liked that name. It's a name you don't hear very often; it's a strong name like you. Every time I call you Bette I'm afraid somebody else might answer."

1981, William Wharton, Dad, Knopf, →ISBN, page 293:

A variant of Betty, a diminutive of the female given name Elizabeth.


Faye

* (surname): Borrowed from French Faye or other languages.

Ten years ago, shortly before her sister married her husband, Bobby Gow, she announced to the family that she did not want to be known as Faith any longer; henceforward her name was to be Faye.

1990, William Boyd, Brazzaville Beach, W.Morrow, →ISBN, page 126:


Jeannette

From French Jeannette, from Jeanne + -ette, q.v.
Doublet of Ivanka, Jan, Janelle, Janet, Janey, Janine, Jeanette, Jeanie, Jeannine, Jen, Jenna, Jenny, Jessie, Jo, Jody, Juanita, Shanae, Sinead, and Vanna.


Beulah

A biblical name applied to the land of Israel in Isaiah 62:4, from Biblical Hebrew בְּעוּלָה (bəʿûlâ, “married (woman)”), taken up as a given name by Puritans and used figuratively for the New Earth.

bor

Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 62:4:

I was into names then for some reason, and hit upon the name Beulah. When I was a child it was a name like Bertha, and you made a joke about Beulah, Big Beulah. I thought, wouldn't it be nice to use the name Beulah and try to get it in a poem.

2003, Rita Dove, Earl G. Ingersoll, Conversations with Rita Dove, Univ. of Mississippi, →ISBN, page 43:


Irma

From German Irma in the nineteenth century. Short form of Germanic names beginning with irm(en)-, erm(en) "whole, entire", from Proto-Germanic *ermunaz. Cognate with English Emma.

- - -, she thanked God for Irma: thanked God that Irma's hair was rich and beautiful, that she had the aristocratic richness of a name like Irma and not the common poverty of a name like May or Flo;

1939, Herbert Ernest Bates, The Flying Goat, Ulverscroft Large Print Books, published 1995, →ISBN, page 52:

A female given name from the Germanic languages.


mim

The esoteric identity and importance of the Perso-Arabic letter, mim, and its Bengali equivalent, ma, were stressed. The letter, when added to Ahad, made Ahmad and Muhammad as well.

2014, Asim Roy, The Islamic Syncretistic Tradition in Bengal, page 124:

Alternative form of meem (“Arabic letter”).


Sino-Korean

the state of Sino-Korean relations

Of or pertaining both to China and to Korea; being both Chinese and Korean.

Until the fifteenth century, Koreans had a native word for the numeral "hundred", but it has since been replaced by a Sino-Korean word.

(specifically, linguistics, of a Korean word) Etymologically borrowed or otherwise derived from an eighth-century dialect of Middle Chinese which greatly influenced the Korean language.

漢字詞

Etymologically from or influenced by Chinese


Sino-Korean

漢韓詞

the Chinese-derived elements in the Korean language

The elements in the Korean language derived from the said dialect of Middle Chinese:

The Korean vocabulary borrowed or otherwise derived from the said dialect.

The distinctive Korean pronunciation of Chinese characters, which is an adaptation of the pronunciation of the said dialect into Korean phonology.


Afro-Argentine

In the case of Afro-Argentines, as in the case of Argentina's Indians and gauchos, this tactic arguably succeeded. Although blacks constituted about 10 percent of Argentina's population in 1810, by 1887 their numbers had dropped to less than 2 percent, and have continued to drop down to the present day. ...

1999, Joyce Moss, Latin American Literature and Its Times:

The official mouthpiece of the Rosas government, La Gaceta Mercantil, praised Afro-Argentines as “valiant defenders of liberty who have won fame and glory in a hundred battles,” adding that “General Rosas so appreciates the mulattos and morenos that he has no objection to seating them at his table and eating with them.”
In other respects, however, the persistence of racism against Afro-Argentines, Indians, and gauchos showed regrettable continuities with the colonial past.

2005, Jeffrey M. Shumway, The Case of the Ugly Suitor & Other Histories of Love, Gender, & Nation in Buenos Aires, 1776-1870:

(chiefly historical) An Argentine of African descent.


Halkomelem

Sḵwx̱wú7mesh snichim
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh snichim

A Central Salishan language spoken on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, by the Musqueam Indian Band, and closely related to Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh snichim).


Unserdeutsch

From Unserdeutsch Unserdeutsch, from German unser (“our”) + Deutsch (“German”).

A German-based creole language spoken primarily in Papua New Guinea and the northeast of Australia.


Jorja

A female given name from Ancient Greek, a new Australian spelling of Georgia.


Etta

A short form of Henrietta or of other female given names ending in -etta.


Essie

A diminutive form of the female given name Esther.


Callie

From a 19th-century diminutive of Caroline.


Freda

A feminine form of Frederick and Fred, also a short form of Winifred.

Now Freda is a beautiful name, but to this day I am glad my bataa was so insistent. I have come to agree there is something magical about one's own name. Later in my life, the name Princess has opened many doors that may not have been opened were I called Freda.

2009, Princess Kasune Zulu, Warrior Princess, IVP Books, →ISBN, page 22:


Goldie

A female given name from English for a girl with golden hair, mostly American usage around 1900. It was further popularized by actress Goldie Hawn

A male or female given name from English for a golden-colored dog or bird


Flossie

'Otto's at a conference about Free Open-Source Software. It's his big passion. That's why we called the baby Flossie―F-O-S-S. The French geeks stuck an 'L' in for femininity.'

2012, Marina Lewycka, Various Pets Alive and Dead, Fig Tree, →ISBN, page 291:

A diminutive of the female given name Florence

"Big School is more fun than Primary School," said Flossie to her mother as they both sat at the kitchen table, eating their lunch together. "Isn't it, Mum?"

1982, Hunter Davies, Flossie Teacake's Fur Coat:

A diminutive of the female given name Flora


Frieda

A female given name from the Germanic languages, the German equivalent of Freda.


Eula

A female given name from Ancient Greek, a short form of Eulalia.


Janie

A diminutive of the female given name Jane.


Kassite

An ancient language spoken by the Kassites


Raaya

Associated with Hindi [Term?], meaning "royal" or "royalty", from the terms rai, raj, etc. Some texts also indicate it means "always". Also associated with the term Rah, meaning path, road or journey.

A female given name from India, masculine equivalent Rai.


Eulalie

French from the saints' name Eulalia, from Ancient Greek "sweetly speaking".

Till the fair and gentle Eulalie became my blushing bride - / Till the yellow-haired young Eulalie became my smiling bride.

Come along, Eulalie" (this was her friend's strange name) […]

1953, L. P. Hartley, The Go-Between, Hamish Hamilton, published 1974, page 60:


Grover

A male given name transferred from the surname. Popular in the USA in the 1880s and 1890s when Grover Cleveland was President.


Londonistan

The term “Londonistan” apparently originated with a sarcastic remark by a French intelligence officer frustrated by Britain’s failure to crack down on radical Islamists in their midst.

2017 April 6, Leela Jacinto, “Is Londonistan calling jihadists back to the fold?”, in France 24:

(informal, derogatory) London, perceived as having been culturally conquered by Muslims.


Dewey

Possibly from a place name in Northern France, Douai. Welsh origin from Dewi (David) has also been suggested.

A male given name transferred from the surname, of 1890s American usage.


Estella

Latinized and Italian variant of the French Estelle.

To stand in the dark in a mysterious passage of an unknown house, bawling Estella to a scornful young lady neither visible nor responsive, and feeling it a dreadful liberty so to roar out her name, was almost as bad as playing to order. But she answered at last, and her light came along the dark passage like a star.

1860 December – 1861 August, Charles Dickens, Great Expectations […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman and Hall, […], published October 1861, →OCLC:


Inez

Anglicised form of Spanish Inés and Portuguese Inês, both from Latin Agnes, from Ancient Greek Ἁγνή (Hagnḗ). First used in 18th century English poetry and plays referring to Inês de Castro. Doublet of Agnes.

Before the frowning King fair Inez stands; / Her tears of artless innocence, her air / So mild, so lovely, and her face so fair;

1796 Translation by Mr Mickle of The Lusiads (1572) by Camoens:, The Scots Magazine, Vol. 58, page 174

My name, you know, is Inez Elizabeth - Inez Elizabeth Mordaunt." "I think Inez is a perfectly beautiful name," said Sir Gwyn, enthusiastically. "So do I, surely," said Bessie; "it is so entirely. In France they all called me Inez, but dear, darling Iny set the fashion of calling me Bessie; - - - Still, I think Inez is awfully lovely, and it's uncommon and romantic.

1873, James De Mille, An Open Question, D. Appleton and company, page 79:


Ina

Short form of given names ending in -ina, e.g. Georgina, Christina, Wilhelmina.

Miss Ina Claire tells me that half her acquaintances call her "Eenah" and the other half "Eynah". She answers docilely to either.

1935, Winthrop Ames, What Shall We Name the Baby?, New York: Simon and Schuster, page 18:

The eldest, originally called Christina in spite of her Jewish father's protests, eventually had her name sliced in half. "Stop sulking, Abe," Aurora commanded. "From now on she's plain Ina without the Christ." So poor Ina grew up with only half a handle, and when the second child was born a year later matters were made worse because this time Aurora insisted on "Inamorata". Abraham protested again: "People will confuse," he said plaintively. "And this Ina-more it is like saying she is Ina-plus."

1995, Salman Rushdie, The Moor's Last Sigh, →ISBN, page 139:


Shaquille

A fanciful spelling of Arabic شَكِيل (šakīl, “handsome”).

A male given name from Arabic of modern American usage.


Emil

From German Emil, from Latin Aemilius, a Roman family name possibly from aemulus (“rival”). Cognate with French Émile.


Allyson

A female given name from the Germanic languages, variant of Alison.


Breanna

A female given name from the Celtic languages, of American usage, variant of Brianna.


Kameron

(US) A male given name transferred from the surname, of modern usage, variant of Cameron.


Arianne

A female given name from Ancient Greek, variant of Ariane or Ariadne.


Kristie

A variant of Christie, a diminutive of Christina and related female names.


Erick

A male given name from the Germanic languages, a rare spelling variant of Eric that can also be explained as a form of Frederick.


Christy

A diminutive of the male given name Christopher.

Alternative form of Christie, a diminutive of the female given name Christina and related names.


Arianna

From Italian Arianna, from Ancient Greek Ἀριάδνη (Ariádnē).


Brandi

'Brandi's father owns a number of radio stations across the country.' He smiled. 'Beware of women whose first names are potable.'
'I'll keep it in mind.'
'Actually, her real name is Brenda. She was named after Brenda Marshall, who was an actress in the forties. Apparently, my father-in-law was a huge fan.'

1997, Joy Fielding, Missing Pieces, page 85:

A female given name from English, variant of Brandy.


Jaden

A unisex given name originating as a coinage, variant of Jayden.


Kamryn

"What kind of name is Kamryn, anyway?" Adele asked me without shame. "A made-up one," was my terse reply. - - - So, her asking about my moniker when she was Girly Two-Hyphen Name was an audacious step to take. "It's not a spelling mistake? Your name is Kamryn. K-A-M-R-Y-N," she spelled it out. "Not C-A-M-E-R-O-N, Cameron like the boy's name?" "Actually, it is. I thought it'd be fun to pretend it was spelled differently. I love people asking me about it. You're so wise, you caught me. You're clearly Miss Marple's clever younger sister."

2006, Dorothy Koomson, My Best Friend's Girl, Random House, published 2008, →ISBN, page 25:

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


Alix

A female given name from the Germanic languages, an Old French form of Alice.


Lazlow

(rare) A male given name from the Slavic languages of modern usage.


Camryn

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


Beverley

en-proper noun

Beverley (countable and uncountable, plural Beverleys)

From Old English befer (“beaver”) + lēah (“clearing”). Equivalent to Beaver + -ley (“lea”).

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


Jayden

Invented at the end of the 20th century by American parents who wanted to combine the initial "J" with the fashionable sound of Aidan, Braden, Caden and Hayden. It has been unisex from the very beginning because it resembles both Jay and Jade.

A unisex given name originating as a coinage.


Brady

From Old English brād (“broad”) + ēage (“eye”) and brād (“broad”) + ēġ (“island”); or from Irish Ó Brádaigh.


Brodie

Scottish habitational surname of uncertain meaning. Probably of Pictish or Gaelic origin. Some of the suggestions that have been advanced as to the meaning of the name Brodie are:
* "ditch" or "mire", from the old Irish word broth;
* "muddy place", from the Gaelic word brothach;
* "a point", "a spot", or "level piece of land", from the Gaelic word Brodha;
* or originated from the Pict name Brude, Bruid or Bridei from King Bridei of the Picts.

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Caden

Invented by American parents in the 1990s to rhyme with the equally fashionable Aidan, Braden, Hayden and Jayden.

A male given name originating as a coinage.

(rare) A female given name originating as a coinage.


Bernadette

From French Bernadette, made famous by St. Bernadette of Lourdes.

Bernadette Woolley was aware that her name was professionally inappropriate. She tended to get a lot of jokes about it. There had even been recommendations that she change it. The pious connotations put men off, it was averred. Non-Catholics recognised her allegiance at once because of the label, and scorned her for it; while co-religionists, reminded inappropriately of the Virgin apparition at Lourdes, blushed, or sniggered, or asked for another girl.

1983, A. N. Wilson, Scandal: or Priscilla's Kindness, Penguin, published 1985, →ISBN, page 1:

As they walked farther along the concourse, Bernadette said, "You call me Bernadette. Aunt won't be necessary. And I don't like Bernie. Or Aunt Bernie or Auntie. For a while, when I was twelve, I wanted everyone to call me Detta. No reason except that I was twelve and trying to fit whatever name sounded more glamorous than Bernadette. I like to be called Bernadette. I've become my name."

1995, E. L. Konigsburg, T-Backs, T-Shirts, Coat, and Suit, Simon & Schuster, published 2008, →ISBN, page 13:


Hayden

Originally a place name, from Old English heg (“hay”) + denu (“valley”). Alternatively, from Middle Dutch heiden (“heathen”).

A female given name transferred from the surname, in general use since the 1990s.

A town in Gila County and Pinal County, Arizona.

A place in the United States:
A town in Routt County, Colorado.

A place in the United States:
A city in Kootenai County, Idaho.

census-designated place
census-designated place

A census-designated place in Spencer Township, Jennings County, Indiana.


Loretta

A female given name from Latin, variant of Lauretta, Italian diminutive of Laura; or a form of Loreto.


Lynda

A female given name from the Germanic languages, variant of Linda.


Lynnette

A female given name from Welsh, variant of Lynette.


Sallie

A less common spelling of Sally; see -ie.

A diminutive of the female given name Sarah.


Lottie

My Charlotte conquers with a smile, / And reigneth queen of love.
In the home-circle and among her companions, Charlotte lays aside her queenship and becomes a gentle Lottie.

1852 August, D. H. Jacques, “A Chapter on Names”, in The Knickerbocker, or, New-York Monthly Magazine, volume XL, page 117:

A pet form of the female given name Charlotte.


Nannie

A diminutive of the female given names Ann or Annie.


Leonie

From French Léonie, from Latin Leonia, feminine of Leonius, derived from leo (“lion”).


Mable

And "Mable"'s a name that ever sounds sweetly / And charms and enchants a mortal completely

1892, Walter Malone, “Mary”, in Narcissus: and Other Poems, J. B. Lippincott Company, page 133:

A female given name from Latin, variant of Mabel.


Lynette

Anglicized form of Welsh Eluned, first used by Tennyson in the Idylls of the King(1859-85), altered by folk etymology to be Lynn + -ette.

'My name?' she said -
'Lynette, my name; noble; my need, a knight,

1872, Alfred Tennyson, Gareth and Lynette:


Kristine

A female given name from Ancient Greek, variant of Christine.


Leona

A female given name from Latin, a feminine form of Leo through Leon.


Patsy

From the clipping of Patricia or Patrick + -sy (hypocoristic suffix).

A diminutive of the female given name Patricia.

A diminutive of the male given name Patrick.


Marlene

A female given name from Hebrew borrowed from German in early 20th century.


Tiare

From Tahitian Tiare, from tiare, a small white gardenia (Gardenia tahitiensis ), the national flower of Tahiti.

Tiare — her father had called her by the name of the white, scented flower which, they tell you, if you have once smelt, will always draw you back to Tahiti in the end, however far you may have roamed — Tiare remembered Strickland very well.

1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, “chapter 49”, in The Moon and Sixpence, [New York, N.Y.]: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers […], →OCLC:

A female given name. Used in Hawaii since the 1980s.


Tilda

A female given name from the Germanic languages, short form of Matilda.


Valeria

/vəˈlɪəɹi.ə/

Feminine form of Roman family name Valerius, from Latin valere (“to be healthy, to be strong”). Doublet of Valerie.


Paulette

Borrowed in the twentieth century from French Paulette, a diminutive feminine form of Paul.


Lola

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,

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


Peder

A male given name from Danish, equivalent to English Peter.


Alaskan

United States of America
United States of America

A native or resident of the state of Alaska in the United States of America.


Middle Norwegian

The interim language in Norway between 1350 (the Black Plague) and 1525. An amalgam of Norwegian, Swedish and Danish, following Old Norwegian (Old Norse).


Portia

Cato the Elder
Portia (moon)
The Merchant of Venice

From Latin Porcia, a feminine form of the gens name Porcius (the gens of the Cato the Elder and his famous descendants), from porcus (“pig”). The moon is named for the character in The Merchant of Venice.


Cassie

From Cass + -ie. diminutive of Cassandra.


Coatlán Mixe

A Mixe-Zoque language of the Mixe branch, spoken in Mexico; its two dialects are Coatlán Mixe and Camotlán Mixe.


Geoff

He had become increasingly petty, irritated by details, by the diminishing, for example, of their forenames—Bill, Bert, Mike, Geoff, Steve. He wanted to inquire peevishly if a commitment to Marxism was incompatible with a disyllabic forename.

2012 April 17, P.D. James, Innocent Blood, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 41:

The place in Malibu belongs to my husband, Geoff. He's a G-E-O-F-F Geoff, not the J-E-F-F kind.

2015 August 27, Sue Grafton, X, Pan Macmillan, →ISBN:

A diminutive of the male given name Geoffrey.


Alabaman

en-adj

Alabaman (comparative more Alabaman, superlative most Alabaman)

more Alabaman (comparative)
most Alabaman (superlative)


Elroy

A male given name originating as a coinage, a pseudo-Spanish variant of Leroy.


Micheal

Anglicised form of Irish Mícheál or Scottish Gaelic Mìcheil. Also a spelling variant of Michael, generally considered erroneous.


LeRoy

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Leroy

Transferred from the common French surname Leroy since the nineteenth century, for no apparent reason except its transparent meaning, le roi "the king".


Ronnie

Shortening of Ronald or Veronica, + -ie.

A diminutive of the male given name Ronald.

A diminutive of the female given name Veronica.


Lester

en-proper noun

Lester (countable and uncountable, plural Lesters)

* As an English surname, from the placename Leicester.
* Also as an English surname of Norman origin, from Lestre in Normandy, from Old French Lestra, from Medieval Latin Laxtra, perhaps from extera (“exterior (part of a property)”).
* As an English and Scottish surname, variant of Lister.
* Also as an English surname, variant of Laster.
* As a Scottish and Irish surname, shortened from McLester.

A male given name transferred from the surname, of 19th century and later usage.


Sergius

A saint's name, from Latin Sergius. Doublet of Sergey.

Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 13:7:


Woiwurrung

A Pama-Nyungan Australian Aboriginal language spoken in the central part of Victoria, around Melbourne.


Alucard

/ˈæləˌkɑː(ɹ)d/

(chiefly fiction) A male given name originating as a coinage, often used in Dracula or vampire-related fiction.


Aseem

Borrowed from Hindi असीम (asīm, “boundless, infinite”), from अ- (a-, “un-, not”) + सीम (sīm, “limit”). Compare सीमा (sīmā, “boundary, limit”) for second element.

com

A male given name from Hindi used in India.


Katelynn

A female given name from Irish, one of the modern spelling variants of Caitlin.


Cecily

"We two," she said, "will seek the groves
Where the lady Mary is,
With her five handmaidens, whose names
Are five sweet symphonies,
Cecily, Gertrude, Magdalen,
Margaret and Rosalys.

1850, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, The Blessed Damozel:

A female given name from Latin, from the medieval vernacular form of Cecilia.


Cicely

, Induction, Scene II
First Servant. - - - Sometimes you would call out for Cicely Hacket.
Sly. Ay, the woman's maid of the house.

A female given name from Latin, a variant of Cecily and Cecilia used since the Middle Ages.


Annabelle

A variant of Annabel, by folk etymology, "beautiful Anna".


Jazmine

A female given name from Persian, variant of Jasmine.


Cara

20th-century English coinage from Italian cara (“dear”) or Irish cara (“friend”).

'Okay, Cara Burrows. Can I take a look in your bag?'
'My bag? Why?' This is getting a bit ridiculous. And he pronounced my name wrong: Carrah. Didn't even try to say it the way he heard me say it.

2017, Sophie Hannah, Did You See Melody?: The stunning page turner from the bestselling author of Haven't They Grown?, Hachette UK, →ISBN:

A female given name originating as a coinage.


Jalen

A male given name originating as a coinage, of modern American usage, also spelled Jaylen.


Jaylen

A male given name originating as a coinage, of modern American usage, also spelled Jalen.


Tiana

Modern contraction of Tatiana and Christiana. In the USA it is also explained as a form of Diana in such unrelated languages as Samoan and Cherokee (but the author Tiana Bighorse is a Navajo).

By Cherokee custom he married Tiana Rogers Gentry; within the tribe it was a real marriage, not a casual liaison. To Houston and to other whites his wife was known as Diana.

1962, Marion Karl Wisehart, Sam Houston, American Giant, R. B. Luce, page 60:


Chantal

Borrowed from French Chantal in the 1960s, from the surname of a French saint Jeanne de Chantal, actually a Baroness of Chantal, a place name in France from Old Occitan cantal (“stone, moellon, rubblestone”).


Gaynor

A female given name from Welsh, a variant of Welsh Gaenor or Guinevere, popular in Britain in the 1960s and 1970s.


Aliyah

Ultimately from Arabic عَالِيَة (ʕāliya).

A female given name from Arabic of modern American usage, a variant of Aaliyah.


Aliyah

Ultimately from Hebrew עלייה \ עֲלִיָּה (aliyá, “ascent”)

der

עלייה \ עֲלִיָּה


Candice

A variant of Candace associated with Late Latin candida (“whiteness”) via folk etymology.

A female given name from Ancient Greek, variant of Candace.


Kiana

Borrowed from Hawaiian Kiana, itself from English Diana. Also used as a modern feminine form of Kian.

A female given name from Hawaiian, of 1970s and later American usage.


Karla

A female given name from the Germanic languages, feminine form of Karl.


Aaliyah

Popularized by American singer Aaliyah Haughton (1979-2001). Transliteration of Arabic عَالِيَة (ʕāliya).


Candace

From Latin Candacē, from Ancient Greek Κανδάκη (Kandákē), from Meroitic 𐦲𐦷𐦲𐦡 (kdke /kandakə/), a hereditary title of ancient queens of Napata (Northern Sudan).

and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, Was returning,

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 8:27–28:


Jasmin

He replied, what I mean is not the jasmine that people smell; but a slave girl whose name is Jasmin, whom my father would not buy for me.

1847, Edward William Lane, The Thousand and One Nights (translation from Arabic): Aladdin Abushamat:


gee up

en-verb

gee up (third-person singular simple present gees up, present participle geeing up, simple past and past participle geed up)

gees up (present singular third-person)
geeing up (participle present)
geed up (participle past)
geed up (past)

"US fund manager Eric Knight has a fearful reputation as a shareholder activist, geeing up underperforming managements at Royal Dutch Shell and Suez." – HSBC: activist pounces, The Week, 15 September 2007, 631, 43.

(slang) To excite in order to try to achieve a desired result.


Colm

From Irish Colm, from Late Latin Columba (literally “dove”), the name of a sixth century saint, one of the patron saints of Ireland and Scotland. Doublet of Calum.


Jace

A twentieth century diminutive of the male given name Jason.


Garry

A male given name transferred from the surname, a mostly British variant of Gary.


Donovan

From Irish Ó Donndubháin (“descendant of (a person named) brown & black”), from donn (“brown”) and dubh (“black”).

bor

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Brennan

From Irish Ó Braonáin (“descendant of Braonán”), a diminutive of braon (“moisture, drop”). Alternatively, from Irish Ó Branáin (“descendant of Branán”), a diminutive of bran (“raven”).

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


Elliot

en-proper noun

Elliot (countable and uncountable, plural Elliots)

(countable) A male given name from Hebrew, a variant of Elliott.


Gregor

A male given name from Ancient Greek, a Scottish form of Gregory.


Caspar

A name given to one of the Magi in Western church tradition, from Biblical Hebrew גִּזְבָּר (gizbar), ultimately from Old Median *ganǰabarah; see it for more. Compare Hatran Aramaic 𐣢𐣦𐣡𐣣𐣩 (gzbry /Gazzabray/, “a given name”), also from Iranian.

cog

A male given name from Old Persian, more popular in the form Jasper.


Jaime

They call you "Jim", don't they?' 'No,' I replied, hiding my irritation. 'I prefer James. My father named me Jaime, but no one ever seemed to pronounce it right, so I changed it to James. Not legally,' I added.

1971, Charles Willeford, The Burnt Orange Heresy, page 220:

A male given name from Spanish from the Spanish form of James.

A few minutes later, Jaime stood and rubbed her shoulders. "You okay?" I asked. She made a noncommittal noise […]

2004, Kelley Armstrong, Industrial Magic, page 134:

A unisex given name
A female given name, variant of Jamie.

A unisex given name
Alternative form of Jamie


duplicando

(Scots law) Alternative form of duplicand


roll over

en-verb

roll over (third-person singular simple present rolls over, present participle rolling over, simple past and past participle rolled over)

rolls over (present singular third-person)
rolling over (participle present)
rolled over (participle past)
rolled over (past)

To reinvest funds from a maturing financial security in the same or similar investment.


High Street

From Middle English Highestrete. More at high street.

This is a result of a switch from High Street to online retailing, requiring consumer goods to be delivered to the door from large-scale distribution parks that have sufficient traffic to justify a rail terminal.

2024 January 10, 'Industry Insider', “Success built on liberalisation and market freedom”, in RAIL, number 1000, page 69:

(British) Alternative letter-case form of high street


Becca

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


sub-Saharan

Coordinate term: super-Saharan

Of or pertaining to that part of Africa which lies south of the Sahara Desert.

անդրսահարյան

pertaining to that part of Africa south of the Sahara


Catriona

A female given name from Scottish Gaelic, a Scottish form of Catherine.


Cierra

A female given name from Irish of modern American usage, variant of Ciara or Sierra.


Deanna

A female given name from Latin, a twentieth century variant of Diana, sometimes also seen as a feminine form of Dean.


Davina

(mostly Britain) A female given name from Hebrew, a feminine form of David.


Eloïse

Alternative spelling of Eloise, a female given name from French.


Amaya

Heroine of a Spanish historical novel Amaya o los vascos del siglo VIII (1877) by F. Navarro Villoslada, explained as Basque amai (“the end”).

A female given name from Spanish borrowed from Spanish in the 1990s.


Eloise

From French Éloïse, from the Medieval Latin and French forms that gave rise to its doublet Heloise.

Alternative form of Heloise, a female given name from French.


Evie

A diminutive of the female given names Eva, Eve, Evelyn, or Evangeline.


Haylee

A female given name transferred from the surname, variant of Hayley.


Desiree

A female given name from French, anglicized from French Désirée.


Isobel

A female given name from Hebrew, variant of Isabel.


does a bear shit in the woods

First attested in print in the 1960s (see Citations). Earlier attested variations include Does the little brown bear live in the woods? (1952), and Does a bear like the woods? (1959)

rhetorical question
rhetorical question#English

(colloquial, rhetorical question, mildly vulgar) A rhetorical question in response to a question to which the answer is an emphatic yes.

schijt een beer in het bos?

emphatic yes by way of an idiomatic, rhetorical question

does the Pope shit in the woods?

A combination of is the Pope Catholic? and does a bear shit in the woods?


Desirée

A female given name from French, variant of Désirée.


Jaclyn

A female given name from French, one of the 20th-century spelling variants of Jacqueline.


Jodie

Alternative form of Jody in its female senses.


Julissa

John said Julissa used scissors to cut the tape he had placed around an electrical socket to protect the children. He thought she was trying to give the scissors to John Stephan to cause him to electrocute himself.

2016, Laura Tillman, The Long Shadow of Small Ghosts: Murder and Memory in an American City:

A female given name from Spanish recently borrowed from Spanish.


Jillian

A female given name from Latin, variant of Gillian.


Gianna

Borrowed from Italian Gianna and Greek Γιάννα (Giánna). Doublet of Jane.

A female given name from Italian or Greek


Jordyn

A female given name from Hebrew, of modern usage, variant of Jordan.

A male given name from Hebrew, a rare modern spelling variant of Jordan.


Eveline

A female given name from the Germanic languages, variant of Evelyn.


Janis

Variant of Janice, q.v.
Doublet of Ivana, Jana, Janice, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena.


Ernestine

A female given name from the Germanic languages, feminine form of Ernest borrowed from French.


Darcy

Originally from Bois-d'Arcy, Yvelines in Northern France. Related to archaic French ardre (“to burn, consume”).

A male given name transferred from the surname.

A female given name transferred from the surname, of mostly mid-20th century and later American usage.


Jada

A female given name, a 2000s variant of Jade.

(biblical) A male given name, David's second cousin five times removed according to 1 Chronicles 2.


Jada

A local government area of Adamawa State, Nigeria.


Felicia

A female given name from Latin, feminine form of Felix.


Quechuan

/ˈkɛt͡ʃəwən/

Quechua, the language spoken by the Quechua people.


Gracie

A diminutive of the female given name Grace.


Gabriella

/ˌɡæbɹiˈɛlə/

A female given name from Hebrew from the Italian feminine form of Gabriel.


Iva

A female given name of Slavic origin, recorded in the United States since 1900.


Gabriela

A female given name from Hebrew, a latinate feminine form of Gabriel.


Kailey

A female given name transferred from the surname, variant of Kaylee.


Glynis

A female given name from Welsh, variant of Glenys.


Glenys

A twentieth century coinage from Welsh glân (“clean, holy”) + -ys.


Kerri

A female given name transferred from the surname, variant of Kerry.


Hollie

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


Kyla

Modern invention that can be explained as a feminine form of Kyle.

A female given name originating as a coinage.


Kirsty

A female given name, Scottish diminutive of Christine.


Keira

A modern feminine form of Kieran, from Irish ciar (“black, dark, little dark one”).


Elena

From Italian and Spanish Elena, cognate to English Helen.

A female given name from Italian, Spanish, or Ancient Greek.


Laverne

19th-century invention, possibly from the Californian town La Verne, named in the belief that it means "the green" in French. Laverne is a genuine French surname, from Gaulish la verne "the alder (tree place)" but - as in the case of Leroy - there is no apparent reason to turn it into an American given name.

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


Latoya

Possibly La- + Toya (“a Spanish pet form of Victoria”).

prefix

A female given name originating as a coinage, of latter 20th-century African-American usage.


Kyra

Name of a Greek Orthodox saint, from Byzantine Greek κυρά (kurá, “lady”), or from Cyra, feminine form of Cyrus. The English name may also be a variant of Keira.


Lizbeth

A female given name from Hebrew, variant of Elizabeth.


Lela

A female given name from Georgian ლელა (lela)

A female given name from Arabic, possibly a variant of Leila.


Kaylee

Coined toward the end of the 20th century
* A combination of Kay + Lee.
* A variant of the surname Cayley or Keeley.


Kelli

A female given name transferred from the surname, variant of Kelly.


Keeley

Reduced Anglicized from Irish Ó Caollaidhe (“descendant of Caollaidhe”), a personal name based on the adjective caol (“slender, graceful”).

der

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


Layla

A female given name from Arabic, variant of Leila.


Krystal

But when Krystal McConnell and Ashley Flynn were named deep in the heart of the '80s the thing was cuteness, feminine delicacy raised to an aesthetic paradigm. --- Krystal : light refracted through the grooves and crests of fancy cut glass, a fragility tempered with the Eastern European heartiness of an imported K.

1999, Andrew Pyper, chapter 10, in Lost Girls:

A female given name from English, a re-spelling of Crystal.


Juliana

A female given name from Latin, Latin feminine form of Julianus, derivative of Julius.


Louella

A nineteenth century coinage from Lou + the diminutive suffix -ella.


Maisie

A Scottish diminutive of the female given name Margaret.


Luella

There was only one person in the village who had actually known Luella Miller. That person was a woman well over eighty, but a marvel of vitality and unextinct youth.

1902, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, Luella Miller:

A female given name originating as a coinage, variant of Louella.


Lucinda

Derived from Lucia with the suffix -inda, first used by Cervantes in Don Quixote (1605).


Lucile

A female given name from Latin, variant of Lucille.


Marjory

If Barbara Gordon was like a name from a Scottish ballad, Marjory Taylor was the kind of name he heard on the radio sometimes, in English pop songs. Jennifer Eccles. Angela Jones. Marjory Taylor.

2010, James Robertson, And the Land Lay Still, Hamish Hamilton, →ISBN, page 444:

A female given name from Ancient Greek, variant of Margery.


Lemnian

An extinct language, related to Etruscan, that was spoken in the Aegean and is attested in a stele found on Lemnos.


Margie

A pet form of the female given name Margaret.


Mavis

Coined at the end of the 19th century from mavis, a poetical name for the song thrush.

"Rather an odd name, Mavis, isn't it?" I at last ventured to observe. "Yes, - but it suits her wonderfully. She sings quite as sweetly as any thrush, so she merits her designation."

1895, Marie Corelli, chapter IX, in The Sorrows of Satan:


Lorna

Invented by R. D. Blackmore for his novel Lorna Doone, possibly from the Scottish place name Lorn(e) in Argyll.

"Lorna Doone," she answered in a low voice as if afraid of it, and hanging her head, so that I could see only her forehead and eyelashes; "if you please, my name is Lorna Doone; and I thought you must have known it."

1869, Richard Doddridge Blackmore, chapter 8, in Lorna Doone:

A female given name from Scottish Gaelic of mostly Scottish usage.


Imogen

First used by William Shakespeare in Cymbeline, a misprint for Innogen, from Gaelic inghean (“girl, maiden”)

Ile write to my lord ſhe's dead: O Imogen! / Safe mayſt thou wander, ſafe returne agen.

1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v], page 385, column 1:

She would have to change her own name as well, she'd never liked Tracy. Imogen or Isabel, something feminine and romantic. She supposed she didn't look like an Imogen. Imogens were middle-class Home Counties girls with long blonde hair and vaguely Bohemian mothers.

2010, Kate Atkinson, Started Early, Took My Dog, Doubleday, →ISBN, pages 83–84:

(chiefly British) A female given name from the Celtic languages.


Laverna

(chiefly US) A female given name from Latin, probably a latinized version of the earlier and much more popular Laverne.


Lacey

"Where'd you get a prissy name like Lacey from, anyway?"
"I don't know," Cash tells Alice, keeping his hands on the wheel and his eye trained ahead. "It was Alma thought of it. I think she liked the TV show with the lady cops. Lacey and somebody."

1993, Barbara Kingsolver, Pigs in Heaven, →ISBN, page 322:

A unisex given name transferred from the surname

A male given name transferred from the surname, of mostly 19th century usage.

Lacey Thrush died last night. Isn't that a name? Her mother was a Lacey. They were an old family here, but she was the last of the Laceys, and the Thrushes went on to California.

2009, Marilynne Robinson, Gilead: Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Hachette UK, →ISBN:

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

A township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States.


Kaye

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Janine

From French Janine and Jeannine under influence from Jane, from Jeanne + -ine, q.v.
Doublet of Ivanka, Jan, Janelle, Janet, Janey, Jeanette, Jeanie, Jeannette, Jeannine, Jen, Jenna, Jenny, Jessie, Jo, Jody, Juanita, Shanae, Sinead, and Vanna.


Lilly

A diminutive of the female given names Lillian or Lilian, from Latin.

A diminutive of the female given names Elizabeth or Elisabeth, from Ancient Greek.

A surname transferred from the given name, based on the given name

A surname transferred from the place name, variant of Lilley, from the English place name Lilley.


Karin

From Swedish Karin or Danish Karin, a medieval form of Katarina, ultimately from Ancient Greek Αἰκατερῑ́νη (Aikaterī́nē). See also Karen.

A female given name from Danish [in turn from Ancient Greek Αἰκατερῑ́νη (Aikaterī́nē)], variant of Karen.

Karin

female given name from a Swedish form of Catherine


Hermione

From the Ancient Greek Ἑρμῐόνη (Hermiónē). Not related to German Hermine.

Hermione, queen to the worthy Leontes, King of Sicilia, thou art here accused and arraigned of high treason

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

“Are you sure that’s a real spell?” said the girl. “Well, it’s not very good, is it? I’ve tried a few simple spells just for practise and it’s all worked for me… I’m Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?”

1997, J. K. Rowling, “The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters”, in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, pages 105–106:


Mariana

Latinized form of Marian, ultimately from Mary or Mary + Ann. It is also the feminine form of Latin Mariānus, derivative of Marius, but these rather rare Roman names have been completely intertwined with Maria in the Christian era.


Laila

Variant of Leila and Layla, from Arabic لَيْلَى (laylā), related to لَيْلَة (layla, “night”).

“Laila it is,” Fariba said, smiling tiredly. “Night Beauty. It’s perfect.”

2007, Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns, BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING (2018), page 101:

A female given name from Arabic, variant of Leila.


Davey

Worse, if your name is Dave, the only possible nickname is "Davey", which makes you sound like you should be wearing a coonskin cap.

1994, Caroline Knapp, The Merry Recluse: A Life in Essays, Counterpoint Press, published 2004, →ISBN, page 170:

A diminutive of the male given name David.


Leila

From Arabic لَيْلَى (laylā). Taken into English usage through nineteenth-century literature.

Oh! who young Leila’s glance could read / And keep that portion of his creed / Which saith, that woman is but dust, / A soulless toy for tyrant's lust?

1813, Lord Byron, The Giaour, a Fragment of a Turkish Tale, London: […] T[homas] Davison, […], for John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 12:

"Leila!" she said enigmatically. "Have you seen her?" / "I went to her flat last week with Dad—he likes her." / "Delilah is her real name, you know. All men like her. And Captain Fort is her lover."

1919 October, John Galsworthy, chapter I, in Saint’s Progress, London: William Heinemann, published December 1919, →OCLC, part III, 1 §, page 220:


Cymric

From Welsh Cymru (“Wales”) + -ic (adjective-forming suffix). Doublet of Cumbric and cognate with English Cambrian and Cymry.

(rare) Synonym of Welsh, the language of the Welsh people.


Cymric

Manx cat

the original, short-haired version of the breed

A breed of domestic cat, developed in Canada, principally characterized by suppression of the tail and by a semi-long-haired coat, with a medium-sized, rounded, cobby body; it is the longhair version of the Manx cat.

(rare) Synonym of Walian: a Welsh person, a Welshman or Welshwoman.


Cymric

Synonym of Welsh: of or related to Wales, the Welsh people, or the Welsh language.


Panyjima

A Pama-Nyungan Australian Aboriginal suffixing language spoken in the Hamersley Range in the Pilbara region of Western Australia; closely related to Yindjibarndi.


Madelyn

A female given name from French, variant of Madeline.


Marisa

A female given name from Spanish, variant of Marissa.


Makenzie

A female given name transferred from the surname, of 1990s and later usage, variant of MacKenzie.


Makenna

A variant of McKenna invented in the 1980s.

A female given name transferred from the surname.


Macy

Norman baronial surname from places named Massy in France, derived from a Gallo-Roman personal name Maccius.


Maddison

en-proper noun

Maddison (countable and uncountable, plural Maddisons)

From Madde (a medieval diminutive of Maud and Magdalene) + -son.

A female given name transferred from the surname, of mostly British usage, variant of Madison.

A male given name transferred from the surname, less common than the female name today.


Maxine

From Max + -ine. An English feminine form of Max coined at the end of the nineteenth century.

Her real name suggested a second runner-up for a Junior Miss pageant, or maybe a budding actress whose real name is Wanda Maxine Smith.

1986, Sue Grafton, C is for Corpse, St. Martin's Press, published 2005, →ISBN, page 153:


McKenna

From the Irish and Scottish Gaelic surname, variant of McKinney.

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


Misty

From the adjective misty, but sometimes also (like Missy) used as a nickname for Melissa.

A female given name from English, reasonably popular in the 1970s and the 1980s.


Mariah

A female given name from Hebrew, variant of Maria used since the nineteenth century. Popularized by singer Mariah Carey in the 1990s


Millicent

From the Old French Melisende, from Old High German Amalasuntha, Amalaswintha, from the Proto-Germanic roots *amalaz, *am- (“to urge; drive; press”) + *swinþaz (“strong”).

A female given name from the Germanic languages used since the Middle Ages.


Nichola

A female given name from Ancient Greek, variant of Nicola.


Mayme

A 19th-century alternative spelling of Mamie, diminutive of the female given name Mary.


Muriel

/ˈmjʊəɹɪ.əl/

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Muireall, from muir (“sea”), from Old Irish muir, from Proto-Celtic *mori, from Proto-Indo-European *móri; + geal (“white, bright”), from Old Irish gel, from Proto-Celtic *gelos, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₂- (“to shine”).

der

She was named Muriel — after the rather peculiar name of John's mother. Her own mother would have it so; only wishing out of her full heart, happy one! that there should be a slight alteration made in the second name. Therefore the baby was called Muriel Joy — Muriel Joy Halifax.

1857, Dinah Craik, chapter XXI, in John Halifax, Gentleman:

Funny sort of name. Who would think of calling a little newborn baby Muriel?

1985, Anne Tyler, The Accidental Tourist, →ISBN, page 198:

A female given name from Scottish Gaelic of mostly British usage.


Pavel

Па́вел Павел#Russian

A transliteration of the Russian male given name Па́вел (Pável).


Monique

A female given name from French equivalent to Monica.


McKenzie

A female given name transferred from the surname, variant of MacKenzie.


Nadine

A female given name from French, a French diminutive form of Nadia.


Nikita

From the Russian Ники́та (Nikíta), a male given name, from Ancient Greek Νικήτας (Nikḗtas, “conqueror”) also a male given name (and name of various saints). The Greek word derives from νῑ́κη (nī́kē, “victory”). Made known in the West by Nikita Khrushchev, Soviet Union leader in 1953–1964. It was reanalyzed as a form of Nicholas and taken up as a girls' name first in French and then in English.

Ники́та Никита#Russian

A male given name from Russian, from Russian Ники́та (Nikíta).

Ники́та Никита#Russian

A transliteration of the Russian male given name Ники́та (Nikíta).


Mya

A modern phonetic spelling of Maia or Maya.


Natalia

Latin natale (“birthday (of the Lord)”), referring to birth on Christmas Day, name of an early martyr.

A female given name from Latin, today more common in the French style form Natalie.


Rylee

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

A male given name transferred from the surname, also a modern spelling of Riley.


Myra

First used by the poet Fulke Greville, possibly as an anagram of Mary.

My Saint is dear to me, / Myra herself is she, / She fair and true. / Myra that knows to move / Passions of love with love: / Fortune, Adieu.

1633, Fulke Greville, Cælica, Sonnet XXVIII:

A female given name originating as a coinage.


Ollie

From Germanic, from Latin olivarius (“olive tree”) (from oliva (“olive”)), and from Welsh.

A diminutive of the male given name Oliver, from French [in turn from Latin, in turn from Germanic]

A diminutive of the female given names Olivia or Olive, from Latin [in turn from Etruscan, in turn from Greek]

A diminutive of the female given name Olwen, from Welsh

To my surprise and pleasure, it was Olwen that Esme chose to use when speaking of, and to, the baby - though she showed an unhappy tendency to shorten it to Ollie, in spite of my protests that this brought to mind not a stately princess, but the fat man in the Laurel and Hardy comedy series.

1994, Robertson Davies, The Cunning Man, Viking, published 1995, →ISBN, page 429:


Rosalie

French form of the Latin saints' name Rosalia, derived from rosa (“rose”).

"I'm crazy about things that sound French - I guess you can tell from we naming my daughter Rosalie," she said.

1995, Anne Tyler, Ladder of Years, Knopf, →ISBN:


Patti

A mid-20th-century spelling of Patty, a diminutive of the female given name Patricia.


Nadia

Originally the French spelling of На́дя (Nádja), an informal Russian pet form of the virtue name Наде́жда (Nadéžda, “Nadezhda, Nadyezhda”, literally “Hope”), from наде́жда (nadéžda, “hope”), entered as a translation of the Ancient Greek word from ἐλπίς (elpís, “hope”) with the same meaning. See also Ἐλπίς (Elpís, “Elpis”).

A female given name from Russian used since the twentieth century.


Leanne

A female given name originating as a coinage, variant of Lee Ann.


Roisin

A female given name from Irish, anglicized form of Róisín, an Irish diminutive of Rose.


Deepak

Borrowed from Hindi दीपक (dīpak), meaning a part of a flame, or someone who enlightens everyone's heart with hope.

A male given name from Hindi used in India.


Payton

Habitational surname from a minor place in Sussex, from the Old English personal name Pǣga + tūn (“enclosure; settlement, town”).

A habitational surname from Old English.

A male given name transferred from the surname.

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


Rosamond

"I am quite aware," she added, "that we shall be in a certain sense gambling with a conscipious, individualizing name, for she may grow up commonplace-looking or a fright; but we must take some chances in life, mustn't we, Fred?"
"Either Rosamond, Eleanor, or Guendolen is appropriate for a beauty," said I, with non-committal subserviency,

1892, Robert Grant, The Reflections of a Married Man, Scribner, page 101:

A female given name from the Germanic languages, variant of Rosamund.


Peyton

A male given name transferred from the surname.

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

(uncountable) A placename, from the surname:

A census-designated place in El Paso County, Colorado, United States.

An unincorporated community in Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States.


Rosina

An Italian pet form of Rosa borrowed in the nineteenth century, particularly from the character in Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville (1816).


Rosalind

From Proto-Germanic *hrussą (“horse”) and *linþaz (“soft; weak, tender”), associated by medieval folk etymology with Latin rosa linda "lovely rose".

Jaques. Rosalind is your love's name?
Orlando. Yes, just.
Jaques. I do not like her name.
Orlando. There was no thought of pleasing you when she was christened.

A female given name from the Germanic languages.


Rhoda

From Ancient Greek Ῥόδη (Rhódē, “woman from Rhodes”) or ῥόδον (rhódon, “rose”).

And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 12:13-14:

'One little girl. Her name is Rhoda.'
'What? Roader?' The others all looked suspicious of a name nobody had ever heard.
'It's in the Bible,' he said.

1970, Patrick White, The Vivisector, Viking Press, page 13:


Scarlett

'There now, Scarlett! You admit it is true. What would you be doing with a husband like Ashley? 'Tis moonstruck they all are, all the Wilkes.'

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

A female given name transferred from the surname, of general post-1936 usage.


Shauna

From Shaun + -a, variant 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 Ivana, Jana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, and Sheena.

doublet

A female given name from Irish, a modern feminine of Shaun (“Sean”).


Sheena

Anglicization of Scottish Gaelic Sìne and Síne, ultimately from Latin Joanna, from Koine Greek Ἰωάννα (Iōánna), from Hebrew יוֹחָנָה (Yôḥānāh, literally “God is gracious”), the feminized form of יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhōḥānān) which produced John and its many doublets.
Doublet of Ivana, Jana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joan, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, and Shauna.

doublet

I imagined her tall, horsy and thirty-something with a name like Sheena. There had been a time when I had regarded Sheenas as the backbone of England.

1995, John le Carré, Our Game, Knopf, published 1995, →ISBN, page 30:

A female given name from Scottish Gaelic.


Shelly

A surname from Old English, variant of Shelley.

A male given name transferred from the surname, of mostly pre-1930 usage.

A female given name transferred from the surname, of 1930s and later usage, variant of Shelley.


Shari

A diminutive of the female given name Sharon, variant of Sherry


Sheryl

A female given name originating as a coinage, variant of Cheryl or Shirley.


Rus

en-proper noun

Rus (countable and uncountable, plural Rus)

Earlier form Russ from German Russe etc., from Old East Slavic Русь (Rusĭ). More recent use influenced by Russian Русь (Rusʹ), from Old East Slavic Русь (Rusĭ). Use with macron was probably influenced by the transliteration of Arabic رُوس (rūs).
Compare Russ, Russian, Russie, Russniak, Rusyn, Ruthenian.
Also compare Swedish Ryss, Dutch Rus, German Russe, French Russe, Byzantine Greek Ῥῶς (Rhôs), Russian Русь (Rusʹ), Belarusian Русь (Rusʹ), Ukrainian Русь (Rusʹ). Also compare Russian ру́сский (rússkij, “Ethnic Russian, of Rus”), россия́нин (rossijánin, “Russian national”), Росси́я (Rossíja, “Russia”).
See further Etymology of Rus and derivatives.

Ռուսիա

any of the medieval East Slavic principalities

Kievan Rus', the medieval East Slavic state established by these same warrior merchants in the 9th century, whose capital was in Kiev.


Skylar

Phonetic spelling of Schuyler used since the 1980s.

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.


Skyler

Phonetic spelling of Schuyler, used since the 1980s.

It is a catchy name isn't it? Skyler: sky. A name specifically chosen by my father, who'd expected great things from me, his firstborn child, and male. A name, my father Bix Rampike believed, to set its bearer apart from the merely commonplace.

2008, Joyce Carol Oates, My Sister, My Love, HarperCollins, →ISBN, page 4:

A female given name transferred from the surname.


Stacie

A unisex given name from Ancient Greek, variant of Stacey.


Schuyler

Dutch surname "scholar, student", from German Schüler; brought to America by seventeenth-century Dutch immigrants.

A male given name transferred from the surname, of 19th century and later usage.

A city, the county seat of Colfax County, Nebraska, United States.


Susannah

And trust me, Susy, added the corporal, turning to Susannah, whose eyes were swimming with water, before that time comes round again, a bright eye will be dim.

1765, Laurence Sterne, chapter VIII, in Tristram Shandy:

Had she changed the baby's name? They had decided to call her Susannah for no very clear reason; they had both liked it, and it seemed to fit the crumpled little face.

1985, Margaret Yorke, Intimate Kill, page 54:

A female given name from Hebrew, variant of Susanna.


Skye

Derived from Scottish Gaelic An t-Eilean Sgitheanach, of long disputed (probably non-Indo-European substrate) origin, with several theories proposed and none widely accepted; see Etymology of Skye.

A female given name transferred from the place name, of modern usage, or a fanciful spelling of the word sky.


Selena

Either a variant of Selina, from Latin Caelīna (“heavenly”, from caelum (“sky, heaven”)), or from Selene, the Ancient Greek goddess of the moon.

der

from <i class="Latn mention" lang="la">caelum</i> (“sky, heaven”)

I promised Selena — her full name I ascertained in due course was Selena Judith Hephzibah — that I would. I would have promised her anything.

1893, William Wallace, After the Revolution: And Other Holiday Fantasies, W. Hodge, →ISBN, page 163:

I have a younger sister, Jessica, who insists that everyone call her Selena because she feels the pain of the murdered Latin American rock star, and who just dropped out of school for the second time.

2004, D. L. Lepidus, The Best Men's Stage Monologues of 2003, Smith and Kraus, →ISBN, page 27:


Sabrina

A female given name from the Celtic languages, in regular but quiet use after the release of the film Sabrina (1954).


Susanne

A female given name from German [in turn from Ancient Greek, in turn from Hebrew], variant of Susan.


Abhishikt

From Sanskrit अभिषिक्त (abhiṣikta, “a person on whom the ceremony of Abhisheka has performed”).

(rare) A male given name from Sanskrit, of Indian usage.


Lacy

A unisex given name transferred from the surname, variant of Lacey

A male given name transferred from the surname, of mostly 19th century usage, variant of Lacey.

Caught a glimpse of Lacy squatted like she was pissing […].

2022, Sean Thor Conroe, Fuccboi, Hachette, →ISBN:

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


Ulrica

A feminine form of the male given name Ulric (modern German Ulrich), Germanic for "ruler of all" or "wolf[like] ruler".

Farewell, Front-de-Boeuf! — May Mista, Skogula, and Zernebock, gods of the ancient Saxons – fiends, as the priests now call them – supply the place of comforters at your dying bed, which Ulrica now relinquishes!

1819, Walter Scott, chapter XXX, in Ivanhoe:

"Forever is a word forbidden to men," asserted Ulrica and, to lighten the emphasis, she asked me to repeat my name, which she had not caught. "Javier Otárola," I told her. She tried to repeat it and couldn't. I failed, equally, with the name Ulrikke.

1975, Jorge Luis Borges, “Ulrica”, in The Book of Sand:

A female given name from the Germanic languages, rare in English.


Tayla

A female given name, a 1990s invention based on Taylor.


Tamsin

Medieval contraction of Thomasina, a feminine form of Thomas, revived in the UK in the twentieth century.


Tammie

A female given name, a spelling variant of Tammy.


Tricia

A diminutive of the female given name Patricia.


Velma

Coined at the end of the 19th century, by analogy with Thelma and Wilma.

A female given name originating as a coinage


Zoey

A female given name from Ancient Greek, a phonetic spelling of Zoë.


Tonia

A short form of the female given name Antonia.


Zara

A 20th-century variant of Sarah, or explained as Arabic زَهْرَة (zahra, “flower”); given to the daughter of Princess Anne in 1981.

A female given name from Latin [in turn from Ancient Greek, in turn from Hebrew], variant of Sarah

A female given name
A female given name from Arabic


Verna

Coined in the 19th century, from Latin vernus (“spring-like”) or as a feminine of Vernon.

I dislike peppermint flavouring to this day. And the name Verna — I dislike that. It doesn't sound like spring to me, or like green grass or garlands of flowers or girls in flimsy dresses. It sounds more like a trail of obstinate peppermint, […]

2009, Alice Munro, Too Much Happiness, Chatto & Windus, →ISBN, page 196:


Thunderer

(British, informal) The Times newspaper.


Veronica

From the Latin form of Berenice, from Ancient Greek Φερενίκη (Phereníkē). Influenced by the Church Latin phrase vera icon ("true image") associated with the veil of Saint Veronica, who wiped the face of Jesus on the way to Calvary, resulting in an image of his face miraculously appearing on the veil. Doublet of Berenice.

My own name, Veronica — an ugly enough thing I had always thought, it sounded like either the ointment or the disease — was one her great favourites. St Veronica wiped the face of Christ on the road to Calvary and He left His face on her tea towel. Or the picture of His face. It was the first-ever photograph, she said.

2007, Anne Enright, The Gathering, Jonathan Cape, →ISBN, page 128:


Caledonian

A native or inhabitant of Caledonia; a Scot.

Someone from the ancient Celtic tribe (or group of tribes) called Caledonians, in Scotland


Kikongo

From Kongo ki- + Kongo, the prefix indicating inanimate or abstract nouns, and used to form language names. Attested in English since the late nineteenth century; Kongo appears earlier in the century.


Brooklynn

A female given name transferred from the place name, variant of Brooklyn.


Chauncey

From the Norman name based on several locations in France called Chancé. See Old French chance.

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Killian

An anglicized spelling of Irish Cillian.


Kian

A male given name from Irish, anglicized spelling of Cian.


Esme

A unisex given name from French
A male given name from French.

A unisex given name from French
A female given name from French.


Esme

A diminutive of the female given name Esmeralda


Cedric

→ Finnish: Sedrik

→ French: Cédric m

→ French: Cédrika f

Invented by Walter Scott for Ivanhoe, possibly misread for Cerdic, name of a Saxon king, anglicized from Welsh caredig (“beloved”), in which case a doublet of Caradoc, Caradog, Caratacus, Craddock, Cradock, McCarthy, and McCarty. Alternatively Scott based Cedric on the Welsh name Cedrych (“spectacular bounty”).

dbt

In a hall, the height of which was greatly disproportioned to its extreme length and width, a long oaken table, formed of planks rough-hewn from the forest, and which had scarcely received any polish, stood ready prepared for the evening meal of Cedric the Saxon.

"It's Cedric Errol, Lord Fauntleroy," answered Cedric. "That's what Mr. Havisham called me. - - -

1886, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Little Lord Fauntleroy, Chapter 2:


Chance

en-proper noun

Chance (countable and uncountable, plural Chances)

A male given name from English, an American pet form of Chauncey, in modern usage also associated with the word chance.


Flynn

Anglicized from Irish Ó Floinn, "descendant of Flann (red)".


Jaxon

en:Jaxon (disambiguation)
en:Jaxon (name)

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


Esmé

First recorded as a male given name in Scotland in the sixteenth century, probably from French esmé (“esteemed”), or confused with Aimé / Aimée.

unk

probably

A female given name from French, simplified spelling of the feminine form Esmée


Grayson

en-proper noun

Grayson (countable and uncountable, plural Graysons)

From Middle English greyve (“steward”) + -son.


Colby

Colby (countable and uncountable, plural Colbys)

From either the Old Norse personal name Koli or kol (“charcoal”) + býr (“settlement”).


Ivor

→ Welsh: Ifor

Medieval form of Old Norse Ívarr. Doublet of Igor.

I'd weave through the throng — scanning for empties to return while flirting, sniffing out kids smoking grass and sharing smokes with Ivor and Carl on the door. With a name like Carl you can imagine a six-foot tall and wide bouncer, but Ivor...I couldn't but help to think of the name as belonging to a skinny Welshman getting sand kicked into his face. His name didn't do him justice — this guy was almost as big as Carl and probably faster with his fists.

2004, David W. Scott, The Disillusioned:A Story of Our Times, Fraser Books, →ISBN, page 204:


Granville

The commune of France is from Old French Granville, Grandvilla, Grande Villa, Grandivilla, from grant (“grand”) + ville (“settlement”). The surname is of Norman baronial origin, from Grainville, a former commune in Normandy, from the given name Guarin + ville, meaning “Guarin's town”. Guarin ultimately derives from Proto-Germanic *warduz (“guard”).


astricted

en-adj

astricted (comparative more astricted, superlative most astricted)

more astricted (comparative)
most astricted (superlative)

(Scots law, historical, of land) From which corn must be sent to a particular mill, paying multure or thirlage on it.


chantry

From Middle English chaunterie, from Old French chanterie, from chanter (“to sing”).


Keegan

Borrowed from Irish Mac Aodhagáin (“son of Aidan”).

bor+

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.


Landon

Place names in England, from Old English lang (“long”) + dūn (“hill”).


Lonnie

(US) A pet form of the male given name Alonzo.


Mathew

A male given name from Hebrew, of occasional usage, variant of Matthew.


Lachlan

en-proper noun

Lachlan (countable and uncountable, plural Lachlans)

From Scottish Gaelic Lachlann, Lochlann (“land of the lochs, loch or fjord land, i.e. Scandinavia”), said to refer to an immigrant from Norway, a Norseman.

(countable) A male given name from Scottish Gaelic mainly used in Scotland, recently also popular in Australia.


Kendall

From the place name Kendal in Cumbria, "valley of the river Kent", and Kendale in Humberside, from Old Norse kelda (“spring”) + dalr (“valley”).

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

Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County#English

A number of places in the United States:

A census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida.


Leigh

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.

(UK) A female given name, female equivalent of Lee.


minster

From Middle English menstre (see mynisterie), from Old English mynster, from Latin monastērium (“monastery”), from Ancient Greek μοναστήριον (monastḗrion, “monastery; solitary dwelling”). Doublet of monastery.

derived

A cathedral church without any monastic connection.


pollard

From poll (“head, scalp”) + -ard. The coin sense derives from the original penny's uncrowned obverse bust, as opposed to the laurel-wreathed form appearing on the rosary. The verb derives from the noun.

Only a little pollard hedge kept us from their blood-shot eyes.

1869, Richard Doddridge Blackmore, “Chapter 65”, in Lorna Doone:

Nothing was to be seen save flat meadows, cows feeding unconcernedly for the most part, and silvery pollard willows motionless in the warm sunlight.

1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 98:

And at this place there was a long, straight causeway, with two long rows of pollard willows, one upon either hand.

1903, Howard Pyle, The Story of King Arthur and His Knights, Part III, Chapter Third, page 116

(often attributive) A pruned tree; the wood of such trees.

Squalius cephalus
Squalius cephalus#Translingual

Leuciscus cephalus
Leuciscus cephalus#Translingual

(obsolete, rare) A European chub (Squalius cephalus, syn. Leuciscus cephalus), a kind of fish.

(now Australia) A fine grade of bran including some flour. The fine cell layer between bran layers and endosperm, used for animal feed.

(numismatics, historical) A 13th-century European coin minted as a debased counterfeit of the sterling silver penny of Edward I of England, at first legally accepted as a halfpenny and then outlawed.


pollard

en-verb

pollard (third-person singular simple present pollards, present participle pollarding, simple past and past participle pollarded)

pollards (present singular third-person)
pollarding (participle present)
pollarded (participle past)
pollarded (past)

I didn't know one could pollard elms. I thought one only pollarded willows.

1910, Edward Morgan Forster, chapter 11, in Howards End:

I walked up the path, passing under a heavily pollarded oak.

2019, Ian McEwan, Machines Like Me, Jonathan Cape, page 287:

(horticulture) To prune a tree heavily, cutting branches back to the trunk, so that it produces dense new growth.


Remembrancer

(UK politics) Any of several former officials in the Court of Exchequer.

“Thank you. Tuesday evening, in four days’ time, Daedra West hosts a gathering, the venue yet to be announced. Possibly one of the guildhalls. Her guest list, so far, is interesting.” She looked at Lev. “The Remembrancer himself may be there. Lesser faces from the City.[…]

2014, William Gibson, The Peripheral, G. P. Putnam's Sons, →ISBN, page 222:

In particular, Harkaway told him about the unelected offices of the Lord Mayor and the City Remembrancer, who can be mistaken for figureheads but, in fact, have extensive powers.

2014 November 16, Ned Beauman, “William Gibson: ‘We always think of ourselves as the cream of creation’”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

City of London Corporation
City of London Corporation

(UK politics) A similar official of the City of London Corporation.


Nelson

en-proper noun

Nelson (countable and uncountable, plural Nelsons)

From Middle English Neil + -son and Nell + -son.
* In the United States, also an Anglicisation of North Germanic (Scandinavian) surnames such as Nilsen, Nielsen, and Nilsson, equivalent to "son of Nicholas".

Africans of my generation - and even today - generally have both a Western and an African name. Whites were either unable or unwilling to pronounce an African name, and considered it uncivilized to have one. That day, Miss Mdingane told me that my new name was Nelson. Why she bestowed this particular name upon me I have no idea. Perhaps it had something to do with the great British sea captain Lord Nelson, but that would only be a guess.

1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom:

A male given name transferred from the surname.


remembrancer

In one respect at least the Corporation acts as the superior body: it imposes on the House of Commons a figure called the remembrancer: an official lobbyist who sits behind the Speaker's chair and ensures that, whatever our elected representatives might think, the City's rights and privileges are protected.

[2011 October 31, George Monbiot, “The medieval, unaccountable Corporation of London is ripe for protest”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

(UK politics) Alternative letter-case form of Remembrancer: an official of the City of London Corporation.


Nolan

Anglicized from Irish Ó Nualláin (literally “descendant of Nuallán”), diminutive of nuall (“chariot-fighter, champion”).


Reece

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.


Reese

A male given name from Welsh, derived from the surname or directly from Rhys.

A female given name transferred from the surname, of 1980s and later American usage.


Otis

A patronymic surname derived from Middle English genitive case of the Germanic given name Ote, Ode, cognate to modern Otto.

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

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

(chiefly US) A male given name from the Germanic languages, transferred from the surname.


Rian

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


Rhys

From Welsh Rhys; related to Price, Reece, Rees, Reese, and Rice.


Regan

A female given name transferred from the surname or from the name of the evil daughter of King Lear. William Shakespeare may have got the name from the ultimately same Irish source.

A minor city in Burleigh County, North Dakota, United States.


Ronan

He'd said that his mother was from Ireland, that he had been born there but came to England when he was just a little boy, he had changed his name from Ronan to Robert, to fit in, and she'd said, fancy that.

2013, Maggie O'Farrell, Instructions for a Heatwave, Tinder Press, →ISBN, page 188:


Rory

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Ruairidh and Irish Ruairí (“red-haired king”), from Old Irish Ruaidrí (“red king”).

A unisex given name
A male given name from Irish


Orville

Invented by Fanny Burney for the hero of her novel Evelina. It has been suggested that it is based on the very old Welsh forename of Eurfyl, meaning 'gold'.

I saw that the rank of Lord Orville was his least recommendation, his understanding and his manners being far more distinguished.

1778, Fanny Burney, Evelina, Derby & Jackson, published 1857, page 38:

Orville Wright was born in 1871. Milton and Susan selected the names of their offspring with great care and considered middle names unnecessary.

1998, Fred Howard, Wilbur and Orville: A Biography of the Wright Brothers, Courier Dover, →ISBN, page 4:

A male given name originating as a coinage.


Rickey

A variant of Ricky, diminutive of the male given name Richard.


Reagan

Audio (US)

Anglicized from Irish Gaelic Ó Riagáin "descendant of Riagán", a personal name possibly derived from ríodhgach "impulsive, furious".

Of the administration of Ronald Reagan, U.S. President from 1981–1989.

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

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


Dione

en-proper noun

Dione (countable and uncountable, plural Diones)

From Latin Diōnē (“of Jupiter”), from Ancient Greek Διώνη (Diṓnē, “of Zeus”).


heritor

Compare Latin herator, from Latin heres (“an heir”).

The printed statement reads (abridged in parts):—
"To the Interested HERITORS in the Counties of Mid-Lothian, Roxburgh, Selkirk, and Berwick. […]

1951 February, Michael Robbins, “Sir Walter Scott and Two Early Railway Schemes”, in Railway Magazine, page 87:

(Scots law) A proprietor or landholder in a parish.


South African English

A dialect of English spoken in South Africa and in neighbouring countries.

südafrikanisches Englisch (Südafrikanisches Englisch n)


romaja

/ɹoʊˈmɑːd͡ʒə/

Borrowed from Korean 로마자(字) (romaja, from 로마 (roma, “Rome, Roman”) + 자(字) (ja, “letter, character”), literally “Roman letters”).

bor

A representation of Korean in Latin script.


Apostle

Απόστολος Απόστολος#Greek

A transliteration of the Greek male given name Απόστολος (Apóstolos). A rare transcription; usually transliterated as Apostolos.


Syd

en-proper noun

Syd (countable and uncountable, plural Syds)

(countable) A diminutive of the unisex given name Sydney.


Vic

A diminutive of the male given name Victor

A diminutive of the female given name Victoria


Terrance

A male given name from Latin, variant of Terence.


Woodrow

(US) A male given name transferred from the surname, given in the 1910s in honor of President Woodrow Wilson.


Wilbur

From an Old English female given name Wilburg, from wil (“will”) + burh (“fortress”).

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


Ryder

Ryder (countable and uncountable, plural Ryders)

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


trey

PIE word
 *tréyes
From Middle English treye, from Anglo-Norman trei or treis, from Old French treis (“three”). Doublet of three and tres.

(informal) The third bearer of the same personal name in a family, often denoted by suffixed Roman numeral III.


Zackary

A male given name from Hebrew, of occasional usage, variant of Zachary.


Kyler

An American anglicization of Dutch Cuyler "archer" and German Keiler "wild boar".
* The surname is quite rare. The given name may be a recent coinage based on Kyle and Tyler.

A male given name transferred from the surname, of 1980s and later usage.

A female given name transferred from the surname, of 1990s and later usage.


Declan

From Old Irish Declán, whence the modern Irish equivalent Deaglán.

A male given name from Old Irish, borne notably by Declán of Ardmore


Willard

From Old English wil (“will”) + heard (“brave, strong”).

The date on the document corresponded to Bill's date of birth, which Scott had seen many times on records and forms, and the name of the child was Willard Skansey Jr. - - - A bank robber's name. Or a tough welterweight of the 1930s with his hair parted in the middle. A bank robber lying low between jobs.

1991, Don DeLillo, Mao II, Viking, →ISBN, page 144:

A male given name from Old English of mostly American usage. Partly transferred back from the surname.


Wyatt

Ultimately from the Old English personal name Wigheard, from wīg (“war”) + heard (“hard, brave”), later also used as a Middle English diminutive of the names Guy and William.

A male given name from the Germanic languages, modern transferred use of the surname.


Lennon

From Irish Ó Leannáin (“descendant of Lover (Leannán)”) and from Ó Lonáin (“descendant of Blackbird (Lonán)”).

der

descendant of Lover (<i class="Latn mention" lang="ga">Leannán</i>)


Delaney

From a Norman baronial surname, from a place in France, Old French del aunaie (“from the alder grove”). In Ireland an anglicization of Irish Ó Dubhshláine (descendant of Black (dubh) + Challenge (slán)).

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

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

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


Nyunga

Borrowed from Nyunga nungar (“a person, a man”).

The Pama-Nyungan Australian Aboriginal language, or group of related languages/dialects, spoken by the Nyunga.


Pohnpeian

The Micronesian language of the island state of Pohnpei


Standard English

Students with a pronounced Midland South dialect are required to take a course teaching them to speak and write in Standard English.

A debate rages on whether or not the singular they constitutes Standard English usage.

(linguistics) The form of the English language widely accepted as the usual correct form.

প্রমিত ইংরেজী

the form of the English language widely accepted as the usual correct form


Asif

From Hebrew אסף (asef, “to gather”); or Persian, Urdu آصف (āsaf, “name of Solomon's vizier”).


Brenden

A male given name from Irish, of occasional usage, variant of Brendan.


Cecelia

A female given name from Latin, variant of Cecilia.


Malinda

Variant of Melinda, used since the eighteenth century.

A female given name originating as a coinage, variant of Melinda.


Orin

A male given name from Irish of obscure origin, possibly a variant of Oren or Oran.


Oren

A male given name from Hebrew, probably from the Bible (1 Chronicles 2:25), Hebrew "pine tree".


Malik

From Arabic مَالِك (mālik) and مَلِك (malik, “Leader”).


Iona

Probably a misreading of Latin Ioua, an attempt to Latinize Old Irish Í.

Skye

other given names derived from Scottish islands

A female given name transferred from the place name, of mostly Scottish usage.


Isla

A female given name transferred from the place name. Coined in the twentieth century from an archaic spelling of Islay, an island in the Hebrides.


Giselle

"Giselle? That's not the name on the documents — "
"Oh no." Bob gave her a sad smile. "Her real name was Staci, but she once studied ballet, and Jeb thought she was so graceful, with her big brown eyes. Like Bambi. So the pet name went from Gazelle to Giselle. Giselle is a famous ballet," he added, in case A. P. Hill were culturally challenged.

1995, Sharyn McCrumb, If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him, page 85:


Asa

en-proper noun

Asa (countable and uncountable, plural Asas)

Via Late Latin Asa from Koine Greek Ἀσά (Asá) from Biblical Hebrew אָסָא (ʾĀsāʾ), from Aramaic אָסְיָא (ʾāsyā, “physician, doctor, healer”), from Akkadian 𒀀𒍪 (A.ZU /asû/) from Sumerian 𒀀𒍪 (A.ZU /azu/, “physician, healer”); compare Classical Syriac ܐܵܣܝܵܐ (ʾāsyā, “healer, physician, medical doctor”) whence Arabic آسٍ (ʔāsin).

cog

A male given name from Hebrew first used by Puritans.


Esmeralda

/ɛzməˈɹɑːldə/

/ɛzməˈɹɛldə/

From Spanish esmeralda (“emerald”), as first used in the novel Notre-Dame de Paris (1831) by Victor Hugo.


Earther

(science fiction) A person from planet Earth.


Earthan

(rare, science fiction, nonstandard) A person or thing from planet Earth; an Earthling.


Earthian

I inquired of one prominent Earthian: "What's of constructing ships and buildings...?"

1940. America: A Catholic Review of the Week, America Press: 1940, page 420

I most likely will be the second Earthian to reach that planet. ...

1955. Fantastic Universe: Science Fiction, Great American Publications, 1955, page 41


Earthian

According to Fodor's definition, it follows that 'water' in Twin Earthian means XYZ and not H2O.

1997. Diego Marconi. Lexical Competence. MIT Press: 1997, page 102

I thought the females spoke Earthian to you. Improving their Earthian was why they asked for a couple.

2004. Sheri S. Tepper. The Companions. HarperCollins: 2004, page 79

(science fiction, rare) A universal language spoken on Earth.


Tabasaran

A Northeast-Caucasian language spoken by the Tabasaran people who live in southern Dagestan.


hydronym

/ˈhʌɪdɹənɪm/

Coordinate term: oronym

Numerous hydronyms of Asia Minor, attested in the historical Anatolian languages and going back to Proto-Anatolian, can be compared to the Indo-European derivational type of hydronyms in *-ntʰ-. […] Another hydronym of Proto-Anatolian origin and having wide Indo-European connections is Alda, a river in Asia Minor […]

1995, Thomas V. Gamkrelidze, Vjačeslav V. Ivanov, “Proto-Indo-European in Space and Time, Based on Linguistic and Culture-historical Data [part 2, chapter 11]”, in Johanna Nichols, transl., edited by Werner Winter, Indo-European and the Indo-Europeans: A Reconstruction and Historical Analysis of a Proto-Language and Proto-Culture (Trends in Linguistics: Studies and Monographs; 80), Berlin, New York, N.Y.: Mouton de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 760:

Dutch Zijpe, Zijp (and regional variants) is found in toponyms, e.g. the poulder De/Het Zijpe in the province of North-Holland, the name of the castle Sijpestein (Nieuw-Loosdrecht), […] We are dealing with an old hydronym.

2000, Dirk Boutan, Maarten Kossmann, “On the Etymology of Dutch Zijpe”, in Dirk Boutkan, Arend Quak, editors, Language Contact: Substratum, Superstratum, Adstratum in Germanic Languages (Amsterdamer Beiträge Zur Älteren Germanistik; 54), Amsterdam: Rodopi, →ISBN, page 31:

Considering the fact that the Yeneseic languages are historically spoken along almost the entire length of the Yenesei from the Minusinsk basin to the Arctic zone it is curious that no Common Yeneseic name for the river seems to have been preserved in the linguistic material. […] A hydronym that possibly belongs to this context is Kezes, which has been derived from Ket (*)qä-ses 'large water' […]

2012, Juha Janhunen, “Etymological and Ethnohistorical Aspects of the Yenesei”, in Marek Stachowski, editor, Studia Etymologica Cracoviensia, volume 17, Kraków: Jagiellonian University Press, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 73:

A river name is a hydronym, a name of a body of water. The whole stock of hydronyms in a district, territory, country, or the like is called its hydronymy.

2016, Svante Strandberg, “River Names”, in Carole Hough, Daria Izdebska, editors, The Oxford Handbook of Names and Naming, Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 105:

(onomastics) The name of a river, lake, sea or any other body of water.


Braeden

A male given name transferred from the surname, of somewhat uncommon usage, variant of Braden.


Rylan

Possibly a variant of Ryland, meaning "rye field" and from Old English.

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


terce

en-noun

terce (countable and uncountable, plural terces)

Late Middle English, from Old French terce, from Latin tertia (“third; the third hour”).

(Scots law) A widow's right, where she has no conventional provision, to a liferent of a third of the husband's heritable property.


Glenna

From male given name Glen, from Scottish glen (“secluded valley”).

A female given name originating as a coinage, in quiet use since the 19th century.