Beau

Shortened from surname type given names such as Beauregard or Beaumont, or from the French word beau.

'Mees Melly, I hear she call her boy "Beauregard". You tell her I, René, approve and say that except for "Jesus" there is no bettaire name.' And though he smiled, his eyes glowed proudly at the name of Louisiana's dashing hero. 'Well, there's "Robert Edward Lee" ', observed Tommy. 'And while I'm not trying to lessen Old Beau's reputation, my first son is going to be named "Bob Lee Wellburn".'

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

A male given name used since mid-twentieth century.


Beryl

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

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

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


Avril

20th-century invention from French avril (“April”).

Avril Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter.

Granny Byrne never failed to explain that Avril had been given her name because she was born in April.

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

A female given name from French, equivalent to English April.


Bella

From Italian: a diminutive of Isabella and Arabella, by folk etymology interpreted as bella (“beautiful”).


Abigail

From Hebrew אֲבִיגַיִל (avigáyil, “Abigail”, literally “my Father's joy” or “fountain of joy”).

bor

The name of Abigail Adams is naturally closely associated with those of her illustrious father and mother, - - - Born in 1765, the mother's quaint Christian name was given to the little girl

1912 Edith Tunis Sale: Old Time Belles and Cavaliers. J.B.Lippincott 1912. page 178

A female given name from Hebrew, used since the 16th century, and currently quite popular.


Angelus

* (given name): From Latin Angelus and its etymon Ancient Greek ἄγγελος (ángelos, “angel”).
* (common noun): From the first word (angelus) of its Latin incipit, "Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariæ": "the Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary".

der

A male given name from Ancient Greek, of rare usage, variant of Angelo.


Annie

Maxwelton braes are bonnie / Where early fa's the dew; / An' it's there that Annie Laurie / Gi'ed me her promise true.

c. 1700, William Douglas(?), Annie Laurie

I never thought of the most brilliant and elegant women in England quite so charming as she really is, till I heard her call her younger sister "Annie". It seemed to remove at once the almost repellent quality which belongs to extreme polish, - gave a genial warmth to her brightness, became her like a smile. - - - If she had called her sister Anna-Maria according to the register, I should have admired, and feared, and shunned her to my dying day.

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

"I want you to stop calling yourself by that silly name, Annie," Mrs. Marshall-Gill said clearly. "It's inappropriate and ridiculous and I don't like it. It may even be dishonest, I don't know. At any rate, you're to stop it at once. I looked up your registration, and your name is Annie, a solid, Christian name. You'll do well to abide by it."
"I don't like Annie," Jewel said.
"It suits your face," Mrs. Marshall-Gill said. A titter ran around the listening room.

1947, Hilda Lawrence, Death of a Doll, pages 39–40:

A diminutive of the female given name Ann. Also, a popular given name in the 19th century.


Brandy

A female given name from English derived from brandy, an alcoholic liquor. Mostly seen in American usage during the 1970s and 1980s.


Bliss

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

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

(rare) A unisex given name from English.


Bobby

It was a real irritation to Robert's parents to hear Adeline call him Bobby. They tried to intimate their disapproval by pronouncing his name very distinctly when they addressed him.

1944, Mazo de la Roche, The Building of Jalna, Dundurn Press Ltd, published 2009, →ISBN, page 163:

A diminutive of the male given name Robert.

A diminutive of the female given name Roberta.


Bea

A diminutive of the female given name Beatrice


Baz

There was me and Baz – Barry Stevens, my DS – in one car.

2003, Peter Robinson, Aftermath: An Inspector Banks Mystery, unnumbered page:

(British, Ireland, Australia) A diminutive of the male given name Barry.

That's what Baz—Basil Younger——said when I put it to him.

2005, Reginald Hill, Who Guards a Prince, page 169:

(British, Ireland, Australia) A diminutive of the male given name Basil.


Barak

A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin, often representing a transliteration of a modern Israeli name.


Barak

From Arabic بَارَك (bārak, “he who is blessed”). Cognate with the biblical name Baruch of Hebrew origin. The usage of the root ب ر ك (b r k) as a male name meaning "blessing" occurs in the Ancient Semitic Sabean (barqac), in Palmyrene (baraq), and as a Divine name in Assyrian Ramman-Birqu and Gibil-Birqu


Amber

From amber, from Middle English ambre, from Old French ambre, from Latin ambar, from Arabic عَنْبَر (ʕanbar, “ambergris”).

The youngest daughter of the Marchioness of Summerdown had one of these quaint, pretty names - Amber! - and what a pretty creature she was!

1854 Harper's Magazine, Volume IX, June to November 1854, page 667 ("Lady Amber Mayne")

And then she said softly, "Sarah - I think I'll name her Amber - for the colour of her father's eyes - "

1944, Kathleen Winsor, Forever Amber, Chicago Review Press, published 2000, →ISBN, page 14:

A bit raddled, maybe thirty, maybe older, tanned like a hitchhiker, dressed like a road protester, one of those older women still determinedly being a girl; all those eighties feministy still-political women were terribly interested in what Eve did. Hippie name. Amber. Ridiculous name.

2005, Ali Smith, The Accidental, Penguin, published 2006, →ISBN, page 64:

A female given name from English, popular in the 1980s and the 1990s.


Amber

From a form of the Hindi आसमान (āsmān, “the heavens”).


Barb

A diminutive of the female given name Barbara.


Billy

“By the way,” Jessamy went on, “what’s your other name? You never told me.” “Stubbs,” said Billy, “William Stubbs!”.

1967, Barbara Sleigh, Jessamy, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, published 1993, →ISBN, page 98:

A diminutive of the male given name William.

Μπίλι

a diminutive of the male given name William — see also Bill


Blase

A rather rare spelling variant of Blaise, from Latin Blasius.


Belle

From French belle (“Beauty, Beautiful”), from Latin bella.

All the miniature Cinderellas, Belles, and Ariels who fill the streets every Halloween are essentially paying homage to characters that will slowly and inevitably chip away at their sense of worth in years to come.

2018, Jen Kim, Love and…: Bad Boys, “The One” & Other Fun Ways to Sabotage Your Relationship, Skyhorse Publishing, →ISBN:


Angelo

Borrowed from Italian Angelo. Doublet of Angel.

I haue deliuerd to Lord Angelo / (A man of ſtricture and firme abſtinence) / My abſolute power, and place here in Vienna,

c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii], page 63, column 2:

Luigi — Angelo. They're lovely names; and so grand and foreign — not like Jones and Robinson and such.

1897, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], “[Pudd’nhead Wilson] Chapter V”, in The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson: And the Comedy Those Extraordinary Twins, Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 74:


Brook

Audio (US)

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

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

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

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


Ce

"No offense, Celia, but I prefer to travel through my madness in my own space. You'll have to get your own padded room and restraints."
"Rude," Ce said, humor in her tone.

A diminutive of the female given name Celia.


Bell

en-proper noun

Bell (countable and uncountable, plural Bells)

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

[…] I found that her Christian name was Isabella, which they shortened into Bell, and that the name of the deceased non-commissioned officer was Tott. Being the kind of neat little woman it was natural to make a toy of—I never saw a woman so like a toy in my life—she had got the plaything name of Belltott. In short, she had no other name on the island.

1857, Charles Dickens, chapter 1, in The Perils of Certain English Prisoners:

A female given name, variant of Belle; mostly used as a middle name in the 19th century.


Chas

From Chas.; Originally an abbreviation of "Charles".

A diminutive of the male given name Charles.


Bo

Either borrowed from modern Danish Bo or Swedish Bo, or a spelling variant of the male given name Beau.

A male given name from the Germanic languages in occasional use since the 1970s.


Blue

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

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

A male nickname, occasionally used as a formal given name. (Australia) Nickname for a person with ginger hair.


Blue

This Blue shows the remarkable, sleek bodyline of the breed.

2001, Alan Edwards, The New Guide to Cat Breeds, page 89:

Synonym of British Blue (“a breed of cat”)


Brad

A diminutive of the male given names Bradley, Bradly, or Bradford, also used as a formal given name.


Bailey

A male given name transferred from the surname.

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

Sherburne County
Sherburne County#English

A number of places in the United States:

An unincorporated community in Sherburne County, Minnesota.


Bingo

Bingo! Bingo! Where is the rascal, I wonder. […] ENTER Bingo, r. 2, with glass of cream, […]

1903, Charles Walcott Russell, “Act I”, in The Prisoner of Andersonville: A Military Drama in Four Acts, New York, N.Y.: Dick & Fitzgerald, […], →OCLC, pages 7–8:

Our dog, Bingo, was determined not to be left behind; […]

1945, Ernest M. Wampler, “Living in a Cave Home and Moving to Liao”, in China Suffers or My Six Years of Work During the Incident, Elgin, Ill.: Brethren Publishing House, →OCLC, part 1 (The Coming of the Japanese Army), page 45:

Marco stopped to talk with a boy named Bingo Brown. Bingo was eating frozen peas from a supermarket package.

1956, Jean Merrill, The Travels of Marco, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, →LCCN:


Axel

From Danish Aksel, first used for the bishop and statesman Absalon Hvide (1128–1201), from biblical Absalom. Some sources suggest that the bishop was originally named Áskell, from Old Norse "god" + "cauldron, helmet", and Absalon was chosen as the nearest-sounding Christian equivalent, leading to the exchange of the middle consonants.

A male given name from the Germanic languages in quiet use since the 19th century.


Charisma

From the common noun charisma, from Ancient Greek χάρισμα (khárisma).


Bud

(rare, chiefly Southern US) A male given name from English.


Codes

A diminutive of the male given name Cody.


Bill

Hypocorism of William. It is unclear how the initial W became a B; this could have been part of the medieval trend of swapping letters, similar to Dick for Rick.

"My other name's Bill," he said. "I was christened Bill but Mr Thursgood calls me William." / "Bill, eh. The unpaid Bill. Anyone ever call you that?" / "No, sir." / "Good name, anyway." / "Yes, sir." / "Known a lot of Bills. They've all been good 'uns."

1974, John le Carré, Tinker. Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Simon&Schuster, published 2002, →ISBN, page 7:

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

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

A diminutive of the male given name William.


Cat

A diminutive of the female given names Catherine or Caitlin.


Betty

People in the last century weren't afraid of homely names; now we are all so smart and fine: no more "Lady Bettys" now.

1864 August – 1866 January, [Elizabeth] Gaskell, chapter 10, in Wives and Daughters. An Every-day Story. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], published 1866, →OCLC:

But Mrs. Betty Carver respects tradition, and this, I'm afraid, is ours. - - - She smells like expensive soap and her teeth are shiny-white. She does not in any way look like her name. It's not her fault that she was born in a time when people believed in names like Wanda, Dottie and Betty. She's more of a Vanessa or Paulina.

1991, Peter Hedges, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Simon & Schuster, published 1999, →ISBN, page 60:

A diminutive of the female given name Elizabeth.


Cliff

The given name is from shortenings of the diminutives. The surname is from the noun cliff.

A diminutive of the male given name Clifford or Clifton.


Conor

From Irish Conchúr, from Old Irish Conchobar (“lover of hounds”).


Con

A male given name, a diminutive form of Conor or Cornelius.


Alba

From Spanish Alba, ultimately from the same origin as Etymology 1 and 2.

A female given name from Spanish alba (“dawn”), of modern usage


Alma

Usually explained as Latin alma (“nourishing, kind”). It has also been used as a short form of Germanic compound names beginning with the element Amal-, as in Amelia.

Alma she called was, a virgin bright:/ That had not yet felt Cupides wanton rage,/ Yet was she woo'd of many a gentle knight […]

1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 18:

A female given name from Latin, popular in the 19th century.


Chip

"What else? Anyway, here's the genealogy: Charles Junior's only son is Charles the Third - like royalty. He goes by Chip - Cassie's daddy. The mom is Cindy. The dead son was Chad - Charles the Fourth."
"All Cs," I said. "Sounds like they like order."

1993, Jonathan Kellerman, Devil's Waltz, Random House, published 1998, →ISBN, page 26:

A diminutive of the male given names Christopher and Charles.


Coral

"Where are you from originally, Coral?" / "Indiana." / "Lots of Corals out there, I bet." / She hesitated, seemed about to flare, and then smiled instead, showing a little gap between two front teeth. "Well, it was Cora Lucille, I guess, " she said, still smiling, looking very much like a Cora Lucille in that moment.

1990, Ed McBain, Vespers, Mandarin, published 1991, →ISBN, page 78:


Cole

en-prop

Cole (countable and uncountable, plural Coles)

The surname is variously from:
# A nickname from Old English col (“coal, coal-black”),
# A patronymic from Nicholas (see also Coles, Colson, Colle).
# A variation of Cowell (which itself has several origins).
# As an Irish and Scottish Gaelic surname, variant of McCool.
# As a German surname, Americanized from Kohl.
# As a Dutch surname, Americanized from Kool.
# As a French surname, Americanized/calqued from Charbonneau, influenced by the first sense.

A diminutive of the male given name Nicholas.

A male given name transferred from the surname.

A few years later when Doug and I got married, Cole, Ella, and I agreed that we didn’t like the term “stepmom.” Instead they came up with the name “Momala.”

2024 July 21, Kamala Harris, “Kamala Harris on Being ‘Momala’”, in ELLE:


Claire

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Dawn

"Thomas, if it's a boy," she said, "after my uncle. But if it's a girl I'd like something fancy for a first name."
"What about Dawn?" she said. "I like the sound of Dawn. Then Mary for a second name. Dawn Mary Parker, it sounds sweet."

1958, MurielSpark, The Go-away Bird: With Other Stories, Macmillan 1958, page 20 ("The Black Madonna")

Dawn, go away, I’m no good for you.

1964 Bob Gaudio - Sandy Linzer, Dawn (a song)

A female given name from English sometimes given to a girl born at that time of day.


Cam

A diminutive of the male given name Cameron.


Curt

A male given name from the Germanic languages, an anglicized spelling of Kurt


Den

A diminutive of the male given name Dennis.


Charity

From charity in the Biblical sense of Christian love; first used by Puritans. In early Christian tradition, Faith, Hope and Charity were the martyred daughters of Saint Sophia. The names, taken from 1 Corinthians 13:13 ("And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity") have been translated and used in many languages.
The name of the sura (chapter) is one of several translations of the original Arabic.

By Gis and by Saint Charity, / Alack, and fie for shame!

c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene v]:

Never did any woman better deserve her name, which was Charity — Aunt Charity, as everybody called her. And like a sister of charity did this charitable Aunt Charity bustle about hither and thither, ready to turn her hand and heart to anything that promised to yield safety, comfort, and consolation to all on board a ship in which her beloved brother Bildad was concerned, and in which she herself owned a score or two of well-saved dollars.

1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 20, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:

Tessa giggled. 'What a dreadful name! Is she really called Charity?'
'Yes. She really is.' Mark recalled how glorious the name of Charity had sounded to him in the beginning. 'It's not her fault she's called Charity,' he added defensively.

1989, Ann Oakley, The Men's Room, Atheneum, →ISBN, page 223:

সদকা

female given name meaning Christian love


Butler

en-proper noun

Butler (countable and uncountable, plural Butlers)

Butler (surname)
en:Butler (disambiguation)

* (English surname): From Middle English Butler.
* (Anglicized surname): From French Boutilier, Boutillier, Bouthillier.
* (placename): From the surname


Chase

en-proper noun

Chase (countable and uncountable, plural Chases)

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

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


Carol

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

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

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

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

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

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


Carol

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

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

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

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

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

A male given name from the Germanic languages.


Dahlia

From the flower dahlia in the 19th century.

The girls' names were April, Corinne, Gloria, Susannah, and Dahlia. I thought these names fanciful and lovely and would have liked the daughters' looks to match them, as if they were the beautiful children of an ogre in a fairy tale.

2006, Alice Munro, The View from Castle Rock, Chatto & Windus, →ISBN, page 175:

He was afraid that Delia or Della might mention a cousin named Dahlia, and he would laugh. Sweet Jesus, do not let me laugh inappropriately.

2020, Marilynne Robinson, Jack, Hachette UK, →ISBN:


Cherry

'As you knows Mrs Chuzzlewit, you knows, p’raps, what her chris’en name is?' Mrs Gamp observed.
'Charity,' said Bailey.
'That it ain’t!' cried Mrs Gamp.
'Cherry, then,' said Bailey. 'Cherry's short for it. It’s all the same.'

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

A female given name from English, a pet form of Charity, also interpreted as a flower name.


Destiny

The man smiled and extended his hand. "I'm Cole." Rebecca took his hand. "Destiny." She'd chosen the name because she felt as though she'd discovered just that the day she realized what her mission in life was to be.

2010, Dwayne S. Joseph, Eye for an Eye, Urban Soul, published 2010, →ISBN:


Baker

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Alan

From Old Breton Alan, name of early Breton saints, of disputed origin and meaning; brought to England by Normans. It may have been the name of a Celtic deity, the brother of Bran, Welsh Alawn, Celtic Alun, ‘harmony’. As an early Irish name, perhaps connected with ail (“noble”). Compare French Alain.

He grabbed at Alan by his Adam's apple,
And Alan grabbed him back in furious grapple
And clenched his fist and bashed him on the nose.

1951, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Reeve's Tale”, in Nevill Coghill, transl., The Canterbury Tales: Translated into Modern English (Penguin Classics), Penguin Books, published 1977:

I could pose as an artist all right; so I took the studio. Also the name of Alan Beverley. My own is Bill Bates. I had often wondered what it would feel like to be called by some name like Alan Beverley or Cyril Trevelyan.

1910, P. G. Wodehouse, The Man Upstairs, and Other Stories, BiblioBazaar, LLC, published 2008, →ISBN, page 24:

A male given name from the Celtic languages.


Alan

A male given name from Hebrew, variant of Elon.


Dickey

A diminutive of the male given name Richard.


Apple

Apple (countable and uncountable, plural Apples)

From apple. As a surname, also an Americanized form of Appel or Apfel.

(rare, countable) A female given name from English.


Devi

Borrowed from Sanskrit देवी (devī́, “goddess, female deity”).

bor+

A female given name from Sanskrit used in India.


Diamond

Diamond (disambiguation)#Places
Diamond (surname)

A female given name from English of modern usage, from the name of the gem.


Camilla

en-proper noun

Camilla (countable and uncountable, plural Camillas)

From Latin Camilla, feminine form of old Roman family name Camillus, of obscure and probably non-Latin origin.

Fancy southern names which she couldn't remember five minutes after they'd told her. Camilla? Amelia? Jemima? It didn't matter. Ashworth would have made a note of them.

2011, Ann Cleeves, Hidden Depths, Pan Macmillan, →ISBN, page 165:


Earnest

A male given name from the Germanic languages, of occasional usage, variant of Ernest.


Aura

Aura (countable and uncountable, plural Auras)

Aura Lea, Aura Lea, / Maid with golden hair;

1861 W. W. Fosdick - George R. Poulton, Aura Lea (a song)

A diminutive of the female given name Aurelia, from Latin


Ben

A shortening of the male given name Benjamin or, less often, of Benedict.


Des

Short form of the male given name Desmond.


Blanche

From Old French blanc (“white”). The surname originated as a nickname, or as a matronymic.


Benny

en-noun

Benny (countable and uncountable, plural Bennys or Bennies)

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

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

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


Cher

A short form of the female given name Cherilyn, popularized as a given name by the singer Cher.


Dot

A diminutive of the female given name Dorothy


Benedict

en-proper noun

Benedict (countable and uncountable, plural Benedicts)

From Saint Benedict, founder of the Benedictine Order, from Late Latin benedictus (“blessed, well spoken of”), from Latin benedīcō (“I bless, I speak well of”). Doublet of Bennett, Benoit, and Benito.

der

(countable) A male given name from Latin, particularly of the sixth-century founder of the Benedictine order, and of several popes.


Ebony

From ebony. First used by African Americans in the 1970s.


Dean

en-proper noun

Dean (countable and uncountable, plural Deans)

The surname or given name is of multiple origins, depending on context:
* As an English surname, from Middle English dene (“valley”).
* Also as an English surname, from the noun dean. Cognate to Deacon.
* Also as an English surname, from the personal name Deyne, a rhyming form of Reynald (see Reginald).
* As an Irish surname, variant of Deane.
* As a Scottish surname, from Dean Castle in Kilmarnock, itself from the noun meaning valley.
* Old English Dene (“Dane, Norseman”)
* Hebrew דין (“law, judgment”) and Arabic دين (“way of life, creed”)

(countable) A male given name transferred from the surname or originating as an occupation derived from the title.


Doll

* As a south German surname, from toll (“mad, foolish”).
* Also as a German surname, spelling variant of Thiel.
* As an English surname, from the adjective dull, cognate with the first German derivation. Also compare Dill.

O! run, Doll, run; run, good Doll.

c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv]:

A diminutive of the female given name Dorothy.


Dow

Dow (countable and uncountable, plural Dows)

Variant of Daw from David or daw, and of Duff from Scottish Gaelic.


Dock

* As an English surname, possibly from the noun duck.
* As a Norwegian surname, from Old Norse dǫkk (“pit, depression”), from Proto-Germanic *dankwaz (“dark”).
* As a German surname, spelling variant of Docke, related to the noun Tuch (“cloth, piece of fabric”).

(US, rare, dated) A male given name or nickname.


Corrie

Corrie (countable and uncountable, plural Corries)

From Scottish Gaelic coire (“cauldron, boiler; corrie”), which denotes a bowl-shaped geographical feature similar to a cirque.

der

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


Corrie

A diminutive of the female given names Cora or Corinne, or borrowed from the Dutch pet form of Cornelia.


Ed

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

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

A diminutive of Edward, Edgar, Edwin, or other male given names beginning with Ed-.


Dick

Rhyming nickname for Rick, pet form of Richard.

Lascivious Edward, and thou perjur'd George,/ And thou mis-shapen Dick, I tell ye all,

c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene v]:

You may know what one man thinks of another by his manner of calling him. Thomas and James and Richard and William are stupid young gentlemen; Tom and Jem and Dick and Will are fine spirited fellows.

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

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


Drake

* As an English surname, from both senses of the noun drake meaning "male duck" and "dragon."
* As a German surname, from Low German drake (“dragon”), related to the above.
* As a Dutch surname, Americanized/West Flemish variant of Draak, also related to the above.

Drake was not at all what I'd anticipated. His macho soap opera name had put me in mind of aristocrats or oversexed mallards.

2004, Torey Hayden, chapter 4, in Twilight Children, HarperCollins UK, published 2013, →ISBN:

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Dirk

Borrowed from Dutch and North German Dirk.

A male given name from German or Dutch, equivalent to English Derek.


Eth

A short form of the female given name Ethel.


Di

A diminutive of the female given name Diana.


Emerald

Emerald, Queensland
Peter Fitzallan MacDonald
Queensland Government
The Courier-Mail

The Queensland town takes its name from the emerald and other precious stone deposits in the area and from the pastoral run Emerald Downs, a name chosen circa 1860 by pastoralist Peter Fitzallan MacDonald. It is unclear if emeralds were found in or around Emerald.
The given name is a modern coinage from the name of the gemstone, representing a vernacular form of Esmeralda.

The child, a girl, was albino like April, and had exactly April's deep red eyes. Sol and Libra named her Emerald, a green name and a ground-term rather than a sky-term, as if in open expression of the slow spell worked on them all by Viridis.

1954 Theodore Sturgeon, The Golden Helix, in Leo Marguelis:Three Times Infinity, Fawcett Publications 1958, page 109

Mrs. Emerald Walsh was helping out at the presbytery.

1978, Mary Manning, The last chronicles of Ballyfungus, page 48:

(rare) A female given name from English.


Bianca

en-proper noun

Bianca (countable and uncountable, plural Biancas)

From Italian Bianca, equivalent of English Blanche.

Sweet Bianca! Happy man be his dole! He that runs fastest gets the ring.

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


Chuck

A form of the male given name Charles, of mostly American usage.


Candy

A pet form of the female given name Candace or Candice.


Caro

She hadn't realized that 'Caro' was a diminutive of Caroline until she met Jonathan. It sounded very Regency, like in all those historical novels she used to read when she was younger. Much younger. Of course, he came from the kind of background - county - where people are called 'Caroline'. And Lucy and Amanda and Jemima, so he should know.

2004, Kate Atkinson, Case Histories, →ISBN, pages 96–97:

A diminutive of the female given name Caroline.


Dolly

Her name is Dorothy, though everyone has always called her Dolly. I do not know why, for there is nothing doll-like about her. She is a large, vigorous woman with the broad face and heavy hair of a tinker's wife.

1989, John Banville, The Book of Evidence, page 41:

A diminutive of the female given names Dorothy, Dolores, or Doris.


Abraham

Etymology tree
Hebrew אַבְרָהָםbor.
Ancient Greek Ἀβραάμ (Abraám)bor.
Latin Ābrahāmbor.
Old English Abraham
Middle English Abraham
English Abraham
From Middle English Abraham, from Old English Abraham, from Late Latin Ābrahām, from Ancient Greek Ἀβρᾱᾱ́μ (Abrāā́m), from Hebrew אַבְרָהָם ('aḇrāhām, “Abraham”). Glossed as אַב (aḇ, “father of”) + הֲמוֹן (hăˈmōn, “multitude of”) in Genesis 17:4–5; or from Hebrew אַבְרָם ('aḇrām, “Abram”). Doublet of Ibrahim and Avraham.

etymon

"Lincoln wasn't a Jew, was he?" he said. "I'm sure not," I said. […] "The name Abraham is very suspicious, to say the least," said Goebbels. "I'm sure his parents didn't realize that it was a Jewish name," I said. "They must have just liked the sound of it. They were simple frontier people. If they'd known the name was Jewish, I'm sure they would have called him something more American, like George or Stanley or Fred."

1961, Kurt Vonnegut, Mother Night, Dell, published 1975, page 28:


Dev

A diminutive of the male given name Devdas.


Fi

Short form of the female given name Fiona.


Bar

A diminutive of the female given name Barbara.


Del

(British) A diminutive of the male given name Derek.


Carl

From Germanic, cognate with English Charles.
* From German and other north European Carl and Karl.
* From Latin Carolus.

Of course you know that Carl Duruside, or 'Doctor Carl', as he is always called by almost anybody, is my husband's brother?

1882, “Doctor Carl”, in Frank Leslie's Pleasant Hours, volume 31, F. Leslie Pub. Co., page 293:

And Thomas Carlyle is nine. They call him Carl, and he has a regular mania for collecting toads and bugs and frogs and bringing them into the house.

1919 Lucy Maud Montgomery, Rainbow Valley, 1st World Publishing (2007), page 19

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...

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

A male given name from the Germanic languages, equivalent to English Charles.

Kërl

transliterations and equivalents of "Carl"


Fern

From fern; in the case of the surname, it was given to someone who lived in a place where there was an abundance of these plants.

"Charlotte is the best storyteller I ever heard," said Fern, poking her dish towel into a cereal bowl.


Felicity

From the noun felicity, and also the English form of Latin Felicitas, a name borne by early martyrs.

Fliss had them. Felicity Benson, Happiness Benson. Except she's not very happy at the moment, not with me.

2010, Sophie Hannah, A Room Swept White, Hodder & Stoughton, →ISBN, page 130:


Fleur

French fleur (“flower”), name of a character in Galsworthy's Forsyte Saga.

"Ma petite fleur!" Annette said softly.
"Fleur," repeated Soames: "Fleur! we'll call her that."

1920 John Galsworthy, The Forsyte Saga: In Chancery:III: Chapter 14

A female given name from French in quiet use since the 1920s.


Em

And oh, Aunt Em! I'm so glad to be at home again!

1900 May 17, L[yman] Frank Baum, chapter 24, in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chicago, Ill.; New York, N.Y.: Geo[rge] M[elvin] Hill Co., →OCLC:

Mind you, he never calls me anything back. Isn't that the way of it? What do men call their wives. 'Em...' Like every woman in the planet was christened Emily. 'Em...is that shirt clean?'

2008, Anne Enright, Yesterday's Weather, Vintage, published 2009, →ISBN, page 4:

A diminutive of the female given names Emily, Emma, or Emmeline.


Brett

Related to Breton, Brittany, and more distantly Briton.

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.


Fay

A female given name, pet form of Faith or Frances; often used as a middle name.


Dexter

I was in Atlanta with our three children — our second son, Dexter, named for our beloved church in Montgomery, had been born in January, and was still an infant.

1969, Coretta Scott King, My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, pages 204–205:

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Faith

en-proper noun

Faith (countable and uncountable, plural Faiths)

"Now, I was called Faith after the cardinal virtue; and I like my name, though many people would think it too Puritan; that was according to our gentle mother's pious desire.

1853, Elizabeth Gaskell, chapter XVII, in Ruth:

“Faith.”
“No name that—no name that! I can’t stomach such a name. Got any other?”
“No, sir.”
“Don’t like the name, don’t like it. There’s no smeddum to it. Besides, it makes me think of my Aunt Jinny. She called her three girls Faith, Hope, and Charity. Faith didn’t believe in anything—Hope was a born pessimist—and Charity was a miser.

1919, Lucy Maud Montgomery, chapter XVI, in Rainbow Valley, Echo Library, published 2006, →ISBN, page 90:

There was something to be said for all those religiously influenced names – Patience, Grace, Chastity, Faith. Better to be named for a virtue than to be landed with a forgettable name like 'Martin'.

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


Donna

A 19th-century invention from the Italian noun donna; also interpreted as a feminine form of Donald.

"Did you ever know a lady named Miss May-rant? With a funny sort of first name, like Donna? Yes, that is it - Miss Donna May-rant."

1914, Mary McNeil Fenollosa, Ariadne of Allan Water, Burt, published 1914, page 30:

I had a girl / Donna was her name. / Since she left me / I've never been the same.

1958, Ritchie Valens (lyrics and music), “Donna”:


Fauna

Feminine form of Faunus.
Some refer it to Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₂w-, whence Ancient Greek θαῦνον (thaûnon, “beast”), Illyrian-related Daunus. Some refer it to faveō.


Duke

Duke (countable and uncountable, plural Dukes)

(countable) A male given name from English; mostly US and rather rare.


Eric

From Middle English Eric, from Old English Eoric, from Old Norse Eirríkr, Eiríkr (from ei (“always, eternal”, see aye) + ríkr (“ruler”)), or from Proto-Germanic *Aizarīkijaz (from *aizō (“honor”) + *rīkijaz (“ruler”)). Less likely from einn (“sole, alone”) + ríkr (“ruler”), from Proto-Germanic *rīks (“king”, cognate to Latin rēx and Gaulish *rīx). The name was in use in Anglo-Saxon Britain, reinforced by Scandinavian settlers before the Norman Conquest. Compare Danish Erik, German Erich. Possible doublet of Euric.

af

see <i class="Latn mention" lang="en">aye</i>

der

"What's your name?" "Eric - I mean Williams." "Then why don't you say what you mean?"

1859, Frederic William Farrar, chapter II, in Eric, or Little by Little: A Tale of Roslyn School:

Mark it. Professor Roberts does not like the name Eric. This happens to be one of his given names, and it is a very honorable one. Eric was the first Viking explorer of the North American continent, and this ERIC we hope will be an explorer in the fields of complex therapy.

1959, Roentgens, Rads and Riddles: A Symposium on Supervoltage Radiation Therapy., U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, page 71:

A male given name from the Germanic languages.


Daisy

From the flower daisy, one of the flower names dating from the 19th century. Also a nickname for Margaret, since Marguerite and Margarita are identical with the French and Spanish word for "daisy".

Mrs. Fairfax kept always an eye upon him, and in spite of his familiarity with her, so restrained him in his intercourse with Margaret, that he could not for his life call her Daisy any more, though he had done so on the first day of their acquaintance.

1867, Alice Cary, The Bishop's Son, G. W. Carleton&Co, published 1867, page 31:

Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do! / I'm half crazy all for the love of you!

1892, Harry Dacre (lyrics and music), “Daisy Bell”:

She was a timid, sensitive girl, looking like her name - Daisy-ish industrious and thorough in her studies; - - -

1929, Thomas Wolfe, Look Homeward, Angel, Modern Library, published 1957, page 45:

"Isn't she a Christian or something - a name which is..."
"Nothing more than the name of a flower, that's all. Daisy is a flower." He realized he was not sure what flower it was. "It's a most lovely flower grown in America, England, and so forth. What is wrong with that name?"

1976, R. K. Narayan, The Painter of Signs, Penguin Classics, published 1982, →ISBN, page 115:


Elma

A 19th-century creation, usually explained as a form of Wilhelmina or Italian Guglielma. It has also been recorded as a blend of Elizabeth and Mary.

A female given name originating as a coinage.


Fuchsia

[…] the attic, which since the earliest days Fuchsia could remember had been for her a world undesecrate.

1946, Mervyn Peake, Titus Groan, London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, →OCLC:

Slater quotes from a new book titled Sichuan Cookery, by Fuchsia Dunlop, the BBC's East Asia specialist.

2012, William Shurtleff, Akiko Aoyagi, History of Yuba - The Film That Forms Atop Heated Soymilk (1587-2012):


Erin

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

bor

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

Erin (disambiguation)
Thomas Buchanan Read

Alternative forms: Eryn, Arin, Eireann

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


Elle

A diminutive of the female given name Eleanor and other names beginning with El. Also given as a name in its own right.


Gav

Short form of the male given name Gavin.


Garland

en-proper noun

Garland (countable and uncountable, plural Garlands)

English surname, from the noun garland. Also derived from Garland in Devon, from an ancestor of the noun gore (“triangular piece of land”) + land.

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


Ginger

A diminutive of Virginia; also a nickname for someone or something with ginger-coloured hair.

A female given name from English and nickname. Popularized by actress Ginger Rogers

A given name for animals having ginger- or orange-coloured fur or feathers.


Foster

Foster (countable and uncountable, plural Fosters)

English surname, reduced from Forster; also from the noun foster.


Gay

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

A male given name transferred from the surname

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

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

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

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

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

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


Gage

Gage (countable and uncountable, plural Gages)

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

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

An unincorporated community in Ballard County, Kentucky.

A ghost town in Luna County, New Mexico.

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

An unincorporated community in Barbour County, West Virginia.


Earl

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

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

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

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

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

Las Animas County
Las Animas County#English

A number of places in the United States:

An unincorporated community in Las Animas County, Colorado.

An unincorporated community in Callaway County, Missouri.

Cleveland County
Cleveland County#English

A town in Cleveland County, North Carolina.

An unincorporated community in Springbrook, Washburn County, Wisconsin.


Ellen

→ Hawaiian: ʻElena

Medieval English variant of Helen, from Ancient Greek Ἑλένη (Helénē); also used as a variant of Eleanor or a feminine counterpart to Elliot.

And how doth my cousin, your bedfellow? and your fairest daughter and mine, my god-daughter Ellen?

c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv]:

"Is her name Ellen or Helen, Miss Viner? I thought - "
Miss Viner closed her eyes.
"I can sound my h's, dear, as well as anyone, but Helen is not a suitable name for a servant. I don't know what the mothers in the lower classes are coming to nowadays."

1928, Agatha Christie, The Mystery of the Blue Train:


Drew

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

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

A diminutive of the male given name Andrew


Drew

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

der

A male given name from the Germanic languages


Drew

Sunflower County
Sunflower County#English

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

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

Wellington County
Wellington County#English

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


Ana

From various languages including Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Bulgarian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovene, and Macedonian, all derived—sometimes via Late Latin Anna in the Vulgate—from Koine Greek Ἄννα (Ánna, “Anna”), chiefly in reference to St Anne the apocryphal mother of Mary mother of Jesus but appearing in the New Testament in reference to Anna the Prophetess, from Hebrew חַנָּה (Ḥanâ, “Hannah”), from חַנָּה (ḥanâ, “grace, gracious, graced with child”). As an Oregonian river, named for Ana Byars, daughter of the surveyor W.H. Byars. Doublet of Ann, Anne, Anna, and Hannah.

A female given name, equivalent to English Anna or Hannah.


Gray

Gray (surname)
Gray, Haute-Saône
Graye-sur-Mer
Grey (disambiguation)

* As an English, Irish, Scottish, and Norman surname, from the placename Graye-sur-Mer in Calvados, from Late Latin Graecus (“Greek”).
* Also as an English surname, from the adjective gray. Compare the Irish calque McGreevy.
* As a French surname, from Gray, Haute-Saône in France, from the personal name Gradus, a Gallo-Roman/Celtic pronunciation of Gratus, from the name Gratius.


Gem

A diminutive of the female given name Gemma.


Fred

When I referred to the confusion which would result from the presence in the house of two people with the same name, she tossed her head and said it would be easy to obviate that by calling me Frederick instead of Fred. […] Imagine Harry Bolles and other kindred spirits calling me stiff, august Frederick! I vowed that this should not be brought to pass […]

1892, Robert Grant, The Reflections of a Married Man, Scribner, pages 98–99:

I had great parents, but they made one major mistake. They named me Fred. I'm sorry in case other Freds read this, but Fred is a rather weak name. It just sort of fades away on the tongue. It's not positive like Matt or Jim or Mike or Luke.

2002, Fred Hill, You May as Well Laugh: The Columns of Fred Hill, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 59:

A short version of Frederick, Alfred, or Wilfred, also used as a formal male given name.


Herb

A diminutive of the male given name Herbert


Griffin

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

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


Calliope

From Latin Calliope, from Ancient Greek Καλλιόπη (Kalliópē), from κᾰλλῐ- (kalli-, “beautiful”) + ὄψ (óps, “voice”).


Ada

Short form of Germanic names beginning with adal (“noble”), such as Adelaide. Also Latinized form of Hebrew Adah. The programming language takes its name from Ada Lovelace.

Is thy face like thy mother's, my fair child! / Ada! Sole daughter of my house and heart?

1818 George Gordon Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, Canto the third: I

A female given name from the Germanic languages.


Hetty

A diminutive of the female given names Henrietta, Hester and Esther.


Honour

A female given name from English, a less common spelling of Honor.


Dom

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


Dai

A male given name from Welsh, a Welsh diminutive of David.


Hal

A diminutive lambdacism of Harry (compare Sally from Sarah and Moll from Mary).

I prethee, good Prince Hal, help me to my horſe, good Kings ſonne.

c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii], page 54, column 1:

A diminutive of the male given names Henry, Harold and Harry.


Gram

(US) A male given name Alternative form of Graham


Euripides

From the Ancient Greek Εὐρῑπῐ́δης (Eurīpídēs).

Ευριπίδης Ευριπίδης#Greek

A male given name from Ancient Greek, mostly representing a transliteration of the modern Greek Ευριπίδης (Evripídis).


Handy

Originating as a nickname for a handy person.


Holly

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

An unincorporated community in Kanawha County, West Virginia.


Hazel

en-proper noun

Hazel (countable and uncountable, plural Hazels)

GREEN. - - Squire Rodney has been looking into your affairs, and, by Jove! he swears you've deceived Hazel Kirke!
ARTHUR. Deceived her? How?
GREEN. He says that your marriage to her was a pretence, a farce, a lie.

1880, Steele MacKaye, Hazel Kirke ( An Iron Will):

In the month of May,
When all nature seems in touch with hidden jewels,
We called her Hazel,
Hazel May.

1908, S. Florence Ray, Fallen Petals, page 17:

Now, as I mentioned earlier, I never liked the name Hazel. I didn't like being called after a nut. I wanted to be called Rosemary, something pretty.

2002, Susan Starbuck, Hazel Wolf: Fighting the Establishment., →ISBN, page 26:

A female given name from English from the plant or colour hazel. Popular in the U.S. at the turn of the 20th century.


Honor

Shortened from Honoria and Honora; later also interpreted as a virtue name by Puritans.

They had named the baby Honor because Eugenie had been moved by Honoré de Balzac's Le Père Goriot in her French class.

2004, Annie Proulx, Bad Dirt, Fourth Estate, →ISBN, page 104:


Genie

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

A female given name Diminutive of Eugenie and Eugenia


Ish

A diminutive of the male given name Ishmael.

A diminutive of the female given name Ishani.


Gill

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

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

each Jack with his Gill

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

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

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

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


Jed

A diminutive of the male given name Jedidiah.


Heather

From heather; the given name is one of the plant names taken up in the 19th century. The surname is habitational, also meaning someone living on a heath.

She struck his fancy - that pretty girl with the quaint name: sweet Heather Bell, as Mr. Travers always called her.
"The name was a fancy of her godfather, an eccentric bachelor," the lady explained. " She was the youngest of three daughters, and the other two were called, respectively, 'Lily' and 'Rose'. 'Call this one Heather,' said Mr. Stewart, who loved Scotland and her purple mountains, 'she will grow up like the heather, perhaps - strong, hardy, a wild flower, worth of a hundred of your garden rarities.'

1867, J.H.Riddell, Far Above Rubies, Bernhard Tauchnitz, page 50:

"I like Hazel and Heather," Angel said, after a while. "They're both names of plants, so they sort of go with Rose."
"I don't have no plant, I got a little girl," Rose Rose said, smiling.

2001, John Irving, The Cider House Rules, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 506:


Jak

(rare) Alternative form of Jack (male given name)


Hunt

Hunt (countable and uncountable, plural Hunts)


Grace

Grace (countable and uncountable, plural Graces)

From the noun grace, first used by Puritans in the 16th century. In Roman Catholic use it may refer to Our Lady of Graces, cognate with Italian Grazia.

To The Handsome Mistress Grace Potter: As is your name, so is your comely face / Touch'd everywhere with such a diffused grace /

Grace does not belie her name; for she is indeed a sweet girl, modest and unassuming, and appearing to be unconscious of having done anything great or noble. - OBSERVER, Dec.16, 1838.

1839, George William MacArthur Reynolds, Grace Darling, or the Heroine of the Fern Islands, page 24:

They named me Grace and waited for a light and agile dancer. / But some trick of genes mixed me up / And instead I turned out big and black and burly.

1965 Naomi Long Madgett: Her Story, Star By Star, Harlo Press

Had I given birth to a daughter of my own, I'd like to have called her Grace, a classic and poetic name, one that illuminates a person of dignity and poise.

2002 June, Deborah Paul, “Amazing Grace”, in Indianapolis Monthly, page 249:

(countable) A female given name from English.


Hyacinth

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

(rare) A male given name from Ancient Greek.

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


Jewel

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

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

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

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

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

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


Barbie

A diminutive of the female given name Barbara.


Jas

A diminutive of the male given name James

A diminutive of the female given name Jasmine


Hardy

* As an English, Scottish, and French surname, from Middle English hardy, hardi, from Old French hardi (“hardy, daring, stout, bold”).
* As an Irish surname, via mac giolla deacair (“son of the hard lad”) as a calque of the above.
* Also as a Scottish surname, variant of Hardie.

der

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Joey

A diminutive of the male given names Joe or Joseph

A diminutive of the female given name Josephine


Hunter

en-proper noun

Hunter (countable and uncountable, plural Hunters)


Josh

A diminutive of the male given name Joshua.


Gloria

/ˈɡlɔːɹ.ɪ.ə/

/ˈɡlɔːɹ.iː.ə/

From Latin gloria (“glory”), first used as a name in 19th-century literature.

Miss Flax, the little thin sister, and Miss Gloria, the stout able-bodied sister, lifted up their hands and eyes in horror at the mere hint of a wet nurse.

1835 October, Jacobus Flax: The Knickerbocker, page 291:

Crampton. […] What's your name? I mean your pet name. They can't very well call you Sophronia.
Gloria. Sophronia! My name is Gloria. I am always called by it.
Crampton. Your name is Sophronia, girl: you were called after your aunt Sophronia, my sister: she gave you your first Bible with your name written in it.
Gloria: Then my mother gave me a new name.

1898, George Bernard Shaw, You Never Can Tell, act II:

A female given name from Latin. Popular during the first half of the 20th century.


Ivy

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

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

Ivy Andrews, Ivy Calvin, Ivy Lee

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ivy Olson, Ivy Williamson

(rare) A diminutive of the male given name Ivan.


Jazz

A fanciful spelling variant of Jaz and Jas.

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

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

A diminutive of the male given name James.

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

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

A diminutive of the female given name Jasmine.


Gunter

From German Gunther, from Proto-West Germanic *Gunþihari, from Proto-Germanic *Gunþiharjaz.

(obsolete) A male given name from the Germanic languages used in medieval England.


Gabe

A diminutive of the male given name Gabriel.


Apollo

From Latin Apollō, from Ancient Greek Ἀπόλλων (Apóllōn).


Heaven

(rare) A female given name from English of modern usage from the noun heaven.


Gad

Borrowed from Biblical Hebrew גָּד (gad), a son of Jacob.


Kitty

A diminutive of Katherine and related female given names.


Dorcas

From Ancient Greek δορκάς (dorkás, “gazelle”), translation of Tabitha in the Bible.

uder

A female given name from Ancient Greek of biblical origin.


Joy

From the noun joy, first used by Puritans in the 17th century.

"I have no name: / I am but two days old." / What shall I call thee? / "I happy am, / Joy is my name." / Sweet joy befall thee!

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, John Halifax, Gentleman, Chapter XXI

All the while, our baby Joyce was growing to be a very outgoing baby. ( - - - ) Given the joy we felt watching her grow and from our connection to the church, the name Joy seemed appropriate for our baby girl. Soon that's what we shortened it to, and what she is known by to this day.

2009, Princess Kasune Zulu, Warrior Princess, IVP Books, →ISBN, page 80:


Ali

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


Ali

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

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


Grant

en-proper noun

Grant (countable and uncountable, plural Grants)

From Scottish Gaelic Grannd, from Anglo-Norman graunt (“big, large”), from Old French grant, from Latin grandis. Doublet of grand.

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Kris

A diminutive of the female given names Kristina, Kristin, Kristine and related given names (Christina, etc).

A diminutive of the male given names Christopher, Christian, and related given names.


Jock

Believed to be a Scots variant of Jack. Because of its specific association with Scotland, the British English slang term is believed by most sources to be derived from the frequency of the use of the given name in Scotland, rather than from the "common man" etymology.


Angel

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

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

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

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


Khan

As a surname via Hindi खान (khān), Persian خان (xân), among others. As a title, a proper noun form of khan.

A male given name used extensively among Muslims of South Asia.


Joh

How Joh inspired a generation.

Nationals shake off Joh era.

Abolishing compulsory voting would take Queensland back to Joh era, says Wayne Swan.

diminutive of Johannes — notably used in reference to:

(Australian politics) Sir Johannes “Joh” Bjelke-Petersen (1911–2005), Premier of Queensland 1968–1987.


Joh

Various origins:
* Borrowed from German Joh.
* Variant of Cho, a Korean surname.


Jehu

Borrowed from Hebrew יְהוּא (y'hu). Attested to in Akkadian as 𒅀𒌑𒀀 𒈥 𒄷𒌝𒊑𒄿 (Iaúa mar Chumrii, literally “Jehu of the people of the land of Omri”).


Hope

Hope (usually uncountable, plural Hopes)

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

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


Lez

(informal) A diminutive of the male given name Leslie.


Frances

From Old French Franceise, feminine form of Franceis, from Late Latin Franciscus (“Frankish”).

Armado. Sirrah Costard, I will enfranchise thee.
Costard. O! marry me to one Frances: I smell some l'envoy, some goose, in this.

c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:

"My name is Frances. Don't call me Fanny!" "Why not?" "Because it's too absurd to be endured! What does the mere sound of Fanny suggest? A flirting dancing creature - plump and fair, and playful and pretty! - - - Call me Frances - a man's name, with only the difference between an i and an e. No sentiment in it, hard, like me."

1883, Wilkie Collins, Heart and Science, Chatto and Windus, page 227:

My other sisters had interesting names. There was Francie, that was Frances, and though she wore slacks and my father seemed angry with her, I thought she was some relation to Saint Francis, who, I believed, kept animals in his pocket and took them out and licked them, the way Francie licked a blackball or acid drop, for pure love.

1961, Janet Frame, Owls Do Cry, →ISBN, page 97:

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


Lance

The surname is derived from a medieval given name Lanzo, short form of names beginning with the Germanic element *land; see land. Doublet of Lanzo.

A male given name from the Germanic languages; by folk etymology associated with a lance.

A diminutive of the male given name Lancelot

A male given name transferred from the surname


Kirk

Kirk (countable and uncountable, plural Kirks)

From kirk (“church”). Doublet of Church.


Les

A diminutive of the male given names Lester or Leslie.

A diminutive of the female given name Leslie.


Kay

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


Lil

A diminutive of the female given name Lilian/Lillian/Lily.


Ken

A diminutive of the male given name Kenneth.


Lex

A pet form of the male given name Alexander.

A pet form of the female given names Alexandra, Alexia, and Alexis.


Jay

A diminutive of the male given names James, Jacob, Jack, John, or Jason, or for any other name beginning with ⟨J⟩; also used as a formal given name.

To Lt. and Mrs. John Ellingston (Beth Vollstedt), a daughter, Jay Karen, on September 17, 1945.

1947, Alpha Delta Pi, The Adelphean, volume 40, number 2, page 102:

In 1993, my daughter Jay returned home aged 21 after a disastrous marriage.

2007, Gráinne Smith, Families, Carers and Professionals: Building Constructive Conversations:

Within a few weeks, having endured a number of lengthy interviews, Jay found herself working in the Beijing office of the bureau of information.

2010, Ray Thompson, Fires Within, page 206:


Jay

Borrowed from Hindi जय (jay, literally “victory”).


Kelvin

Of Celtic/Scottish Gaelic origin, possibly from caol (“narrow”) or coille (“wooded”) + abhainn (“river”). The surname is derived from the river.
The surname was also possibly influenced by Calvert (Middle English calfhirde).

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


Lark

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

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

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

A female given name from English from the lark bird.


Kat

During her childhood she was a romanticized Katherine, dressed by her misty-eyed, fussy mother in dresses that looked like ruffled pillowcases. By high school she'd shed the frills and emerged as a bouncy, round-faced Kathy - - - At university she was Kath, blunt and no-bullshit in her Take-Back-the-Night jeans and checked shirt - - - When she ran away to England, she sliced herself down to Kat. It was economical, street-feline, and pointed as a nail.

1991, Margaret Atwood, Wilderness Tips, →ISBN, page 36:

A short form of the female given names Katharine and Katherine.


Jon

In that Summer of 1909 the simple souls who even then desired to simplify the English tongue, had, of course, no cognizance of little Jon, or they would have claimed him for a disciple. But one can be too simple in this life, for his real name was Jolyon, and his living father and dead half-brother had usurped of old the other shortenings, Jo and Jolly. As a fact little Jon had done his best to conform to convention and spell himself first Jhon, then John; not till his father had explained the sheer necessity, had he spelled his name Jon.

1920 October, John Galsworthy, Awakening, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, page 6:

A male given name from Hebrew, variant of John.

"I suppose I ought to call you Uncle Jack now." "Please don't. My name is Jonathan, and I've never had a nickname. Doesn't go with my character. So, Uncle Jon - if you must."

1994, Robertson Davies, The Cunning Man, Viking, published 1995, →ISBN, page 16:

A diminutive of the male given name Jonathan.


Ira

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

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

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

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

An unincorporated community in Laclede County, Missouri.

An unincorporated community in Scurry County, Texas.


Ira

From the Russian and Czech diminutive of the cognates of Irene.

A female given name from the Slavic languages


Bob

Probably from a medieval hypocorism of Rob.

A diminutive of the male given name Robert.


Kit

A diminutive of the male given name Christopher.


Kit

A diminutive of the female given name Katherine and related female given names.


Kit

(Hong Kong) A male given name from Cantonese 傑／杰 (git⁶).


Lily

A 19th-century flower name, from lily. Also a diminutive of Lilian and sometimes Elizabeth.

"Poor little thing! She is very wee and frail, isn't she? Only two months old. We came away from the north, as soon as I was able to travel. She is called Lily."
I remembered Horace having once told me that his mother's name had been Lilias.

1866 August 11, Frances Eleanor Trollope, “The Tale of Aunt Margaret's Trouble”, in All the Year Round, page 100:

"Lily is such a romantic name. It sounds to me like soft music; it's the sort of name to make one dream of fanciful things."
Lily smiled. "It's my grandmother's name. Coincidence, maybe, but she grew the most beautiful lilies."

2001, Catherine Coulter, Hemlock Bay, Jove, published 2002, →ISBN, page 57:

A female given name from English. Popular around 1900 and currently returning to favor.


Lynne

A female given name transferred from the surname, of common usage, variant of Lynn.


Lyn

A short form of female given names ending in -lyn, such as Evelyn and Carolyn; also used as a formal unisex middle name.


Lane

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

A male given name transferred from the surname.

A number of places in the United States:

An unincorporated community in Kootenai County, Idaho.

census-designated place
census-designated place

A census-designated place in Atoka County, Oklahoma.

Williamsburg County
Williamsburg County#English

A town in Williamsburg County, South Carolina.


Kan

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


Don

en:Don (disambiguation)
en:Don River (disambiguation)

A diminutive of the male given names Donald or Gordon.


Harry

Medieval English spoken form of Old French Henri.

A male given name from the Germanic languages

A male given name from French, originating as an Anglicization of Henri

A diminutive of the male given name Henry, Harold

Yet weep that Harry's dead, and so will I; / But Harry lives that shall convert those tears / By number into hours of happiness.

c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene v]:

Henry now, what a soft swain your Henry is! the proper theme of gentle poesy; a name to fall in love withal; devoted at the font to song and sonnet, and the tender passion; a baptized inamorato; a christened hero. Call him Harry, and see how you ameliorate his condition. The man is free again, turned out of song and sonnet and romance, and young ladies' hearts. Shakspeare understood this well, when he wrote of prince Hal and Harry Hotspur. To have called them Henry would have spoiled both characters.

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

'I suppose you think I should call him Harry,' says Ruth.
'Harry? No. Ever since Harry bloody Potter that's been a nightmare.[…]

2010, Elly Griffiths, “The Janus Stone”, in Ruth Galloway: The Early Cases: A Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries Collection, Hachette UK, →ISBN:

(rare nickname) A diminutive of the female given name Harriet


Mace

en-proper noun

Mace (countable and uncountable, plural Maces)

* As an English surname, from the personal name Masse, probably shortened from Matthew. Compare Massey, Massett.
* As a French and Breton surname, from Macé, vernacular form of Mathieu. Compare Maze.
* Also as a French surname, from Macé in Orne, from Late Latin Macciacum, from the personal name Maccius.
* Also as a French surname, variant of Massé; see Masse.

(countable) A male given name, a name derived from the war instrument, a mace


Guy

PIE word
 *dwóh₁
From Old French Gui, a form of Proto-Germanic *Wido, a short form of names beginning with the element *widuz (“wood”), such as Witold and Widukind. Cognate with Italian Guido and thus a doublet of Guido. More at wood.

I am not Samson, nor Sir Guy, nor Colbrand, / To mow 'em down before me;

1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iv]:

"Guy," he said. He said it slowly and with a certain puzzlement. He said it again, thoughtfully, as if it were a name of someone he had known long ago but couldn't quite place. "Guy. Yes - don't you find it difficult being called that? I mean, if Nora hadn't said, I'd have put you down as a Kevin, or a Barry. Yes, Barry would suit you."
He looked like an innocent child, smiling, wide-eyed, his cheeks plump and rosy, defying the object of his insults to take offence. For they were insults, Guy was in no doubt about that. Leonora's brother was implying that his name was far too upper-class for its possessor.

1990, Ruth Rendell, Going Wrong, →ISBN, page 157:

“She was a new student. I was a counterculture hero. Back then I went by a different name. Sebastian. Sexy, right? And so much better than Guy. You can't be a counterculture hero and a Guy. That name is way too average. […]

2016, Nathan Hill, The Nix: A novel, Vintage, →ISBN, page 596:

A male given name from the Germanic languages.


Guy

From the Hebrew name גַּיְא (gáy, literally “valley”), with the spelling influenced by the existing English name.


Manual

A male given name from Spanish: a rare spelling variant of Manuel, sometimes considered erroneous.


Link

(rare) A diminutive of the male given name Lincoln


Logan

From Scottish Gaelic lag (“little hollow”).

Col. Cresop, the last spring, in cold blood, and unprovoked, murdered all the relations of Logan, not sparing even my women and children. - - - Logan never felt fear. He will not turn on his heel to save his life. Who is there to mourn for Logan? No one.

1782 Thomas Jefferson: Notes on the State of Virginia: ( Chief Logan's Lament )

"How about Logan?"
"That's it. The perfect name!" I exclaimed. Starla liked the name, and I thought it was exceedingly cool because one of the most exciting characters in the X-Men comics is also named Logan (nicknamed Wolverine). - - - I didn't tell Starla about the comic book connection because she would probably think I was being stupid.

2003, Dale Alderman, Being a Dad: The Stuff No One Told Me., →ISBN, page 18:

A male given name transferred from the surname. Used since at least the 19th century, and popular in the 2000s.

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


Mat

A diminutive of the male given name Matthew.


Marge

A diminutive of the female given names Marjorie or Margaret


Hamlet

François de Belleforest
Hamlet
Hamlet (disambiguation)#Places
Hamlet (name)
Saxo Grammaticus

From Latin Amlethus, as written by 13th-century Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus, and borrowed into English by way of François de Belleforest's French Hamlet, originally rendered as Hamblet in English. Ultimately from Old Danish Amlethæ, corresponding to Old Norse Amlóði (“fool”), claimed to be suggestive of the way that Hamlet acts in the play, from ama (“to annoy”).


Love

Love (countable and uncountable, plural Loves)

An unincorporated community in Butler County, Kentucky.


Joan

A clipped or hypochoristic form of Joanna, 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. As a placeholder name, cf. similar use of John and Jack.
Doublet of Ivana, Jana, Jane, Janice, Janis, Jean, Jeanne, Jen, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena.

doublet

Maybe my mother didn't name me after Joan Crawford after all, I thought; she just told me that to cover up. She named me after Joan of Arc, didn't she know what happened to women like that?

1979, Margaret Atwood, Lady Oracle, page 336:

A female given name from French, a feminine form of John.


Kai

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

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

(rare) A female given name of modern usage.


Jade

Cebuano: Jade

Mandarin: 傑德／杰德 (Jiédé)

Japanese: ジェイド (jeido)

From the precious stone jade; taken into general use in the 1970s.

Emily. Em-il-y, three syllables, like a knock on the door of destiny. Such an odd, old-fashioned name, compared to those Kylies and Traceys and Jades — names that reeked of Impulse and grease and stood out in gaudy neon colours —

2010, Joanne Harris, blueeyedboy, Doubleday, →ISBN, page 102:


Jenny

→ Dutch: Jenny

→ Faroese: Jenný

→ Finnish: Jenny

→ German: Jenny

→ Spanish: Jenny

→ Swedish: Jenny

From Jen + -y, historically as a hypochoristic form of Janet, Jane, etc. or (rarely) Eugenia, Virginia, etc. but now more often used as a diminutive of Jennifer.
Doublet of Ivanka, Jan, Janelle, Janet, Janey, Janine, Jeanette, Jeanie, Jeannette, Jeannine, Jen, Jenna, Jenny, Jessie, Jo, Jody, Juanita, Shanae, Sinead, and Vanna in derivations from Jane etc.
In senses related to inanimate objects, partially derived from the generic senses of Jane and partially an informal pronunciation of engine.

Jenny kissed me when we met,
Jumping from the chair she sat in;
Time, you thief, who love to get
Sweets into your list, put that in!
Say I'm weary, say I'm sad,
Say that health and wealth have missed me,
Say I'm growing old, but add,
Jenny kissed me.

All this I recollect, but little more, except my mother gave me several beatings for calling my sister "Jenny", which I had learnt to do from others who knew her; but when my mother heard them, she was always very angry, and told them that her child had not such a vulgar name; at which many would laugh, and make a point of calling out "Jenny" to Virginia whenever they passed and saw her at the door.

1840, Frederick Marryat, chapter IV, in Poor Jack:

Jennifer Jo McIntire (with two Jennys now, everyone had followed Matthew’s lead and taken to calling her by her full name) […]

1994, Gerald N[iels] Lund, chapter 27, in A Season of Joy: A Historical Novel (The Work and the Glory; 5), Salt Lake City, Ut.: Bookcraft, published 1996 (3rd printing), →ISBN, pages 452–453:


Matt

A diminutive of the male given name Matthew

A diminutive of the male given name Matthias


Mart

He looked at me when introduced and said “Mart's boy!” 'I was in fact Martin's grandson, but didn't bother splitting hairs — […]

2015, Deborah Coddington, The Good Life On Te Muna Road:

A diminutive of the male given name Martin.


Mills

A male given name transferred from the surname


Merry

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

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

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

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

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

A diminutive of the male given name Meredith.


Melody

From the noun melody; in regular use since the 20th century.

Melody, for this, impossibly, was her mother's name, twinkled in a searching manner over the glasses.

2000, Anne Enright, What Are You Like?, Random House, published 2001, →ISBN, page 150:


Dan

Traditionally held to be derived from Hebrew דָּן (Dan), although recent scholars instead link the name to Denyen, the Sea Peoples.

A male given name from Hebrew, derived from the son of Jacob.

In Welland, a blue-collar burg between Buffalo and Toronto, [Daniel] Paille’s and [Dan] Girardi’s friends, relatives and fans will tune in to the latest installment of what some have labeled the Battle of Welland or the Battle of the Dans.

2013 May 22, Matt Higgins, “A Bruin and a Ranger Share a Bond While Dividing a City”, in The New York Times:

A male given name from Hebrew & nickname, derived from the prophet Daniel.


Marc

A male given name from French, equivalent to English Mark


Mel

Short form of female given names such as Melanie, Melinda, Melissa, Melina, Melody and Carmel.

Short form of the male given names Melvin, Melvyn and Melchor.


Flora

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

From Latin Flōra (Roman goddess of flowers).

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

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


Jo

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

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

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


Miles

en-proper noun

Miles (countable and uncountable, plural Miles or Mileses)

From Old French given name Milo, of problematic origin, possibly from an unknown Germanic element, or a short form of Slavic names beginning with mil- "grace, favor". The English form is associated by folk etymology with Latin mīles (“soldier”).
As a surname, it is also derived from a Middle English [Term?] form of Michael.

Clad in doublet and hose, and boots of Cordovan leather, / Strode, with a martial air, Miles Standish the Puritan Captain.

1858, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Courtship of Miles Standish:

Just one thing, if I may, Mark said. It's Miles, his name. Not Milo.
Yeah, I know, Anna's always going on about that too. But Milo's better, Milo's got something about it, hasn't it? the man said. It's catchier. It's catching on round the camp, Milo, where Miles sounds a bit, well, wet. A bit middle class, you know?

2011, Ali Smith, There but for the, Hamish Hamilton, →ISBN, page 191:

A male given name from the Germanic languages.


Hector

From Latin Hectōr or Ancient Greek Ἕκτωρ (Héktōr), from ἕκτωρ (héktōr, “holding fast”), from ἔχειν (ékhein), present active infinitive of ἔχω (ékhō, “to have, own, possess; to hold”), from Proto-Indo-European *seǵʰ- (“to hold; to overpower”).

der

Eachann

unrelated, but usually Anglicised as Hector


Madeleine

From French Madeleine. Doublet of Magdalene.

"We've been making up the most glamorous names for you, Marguerite and Marlene and Madeleine―"
"And Melanie and Marianne and Marietta," put in Jane.

1967, Joan G. Robinson, When Marnie Was There, HarperCollins, published 2014, →ISBN, page 185:


Amerika

[…] As far as he could determine, the victim had been stealing from Amerika in order to support his crystal habit. The victim had also been Amerika's lover and had lived in the carraca with her.

2008, Sam Warren, Tales from the Tijuana Jails, Bookwarren Publishing Servi, →ISBN, page 203:

A female given name, a variant of America.


Mercy

From mercy in the 17th century; one of the less common Puritan virtue names. In modern use sometimes used to anglicize Spanish Mercedes.

Mr Pecksniff was a moral man — a grave man, a man of noble sentiments and speech — and he had had her christened Mercy. Mercy! oh, what a charming name for such a pure–souled Being as the youngest Miss Pecksniff! Her sister’s name was Charity. There was a good thing! Mercy and Charity!


Mort

A diminutive of the male given names Mortimer and Morton.


Luka

From the common Slavic (Serbo-Croatian, etc) male given name Luka and from Russian Лука́ (Luká), all cognates of English Luke and Lucas.

My name is Luka / I live on the second floor / I live upstairs from you / Yes I think you've seen me before

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

Лука́ Лука#Russian

A transliteration of the Russian male given name Лука́ (Luká).


Mason

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Manu

Transliteration of Sanskrit मनु (manu, “man, mankind”). Doublet of man.

translit

A male given name from Sanskrit commonly used in India.


Lyra

Borrowed from Latin Lyra/lyra, from Ancient Greek λύρα (lúra, “a lyre; the constellation Lyra”). Doublet of lira and lyre.

der

A little parapet ran all the way around the square roof, and Pantalaimon often draped his pine-marten form over the mock-battlements on the corner facing south, and dozed while Lyra sat below with her back against the sun-drenched stone, studying the books she'd brought up with her.

(rare) A female given name from Ancient Greek


Lu

Clipping of Lucy, Lucille., and similar names.

"Why?" said Lucy in amazement, "haven't you all been wondering where I was?" "So you've been hiding, have you?" Peter said. "Poor old Lu, hiding and nobody noticed!

1950, C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Fontana Lions, published 1980, →ISBN, page 27:

A diminutive of the female given name Lucy and related names.


Magnus

From Latin magnus (“great”), taken from the title of Carolus Magnus "Charlemagne" by an eleventh century king of Norway, and brought to Scotland in medieval times.

A male given name from Latin of mostly Scottish and Scandinavian usage.


Hans

From German Hans (occasionally used in English), a medieval short form of Johannes (“John”).


Morris

en-proper noun

Morris (countable and uncountable, plural Morrises)

* The surname has converged from several origins; see Morris.

A male given name from Old French, a medieval form of French Maurice.

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Noelle

From French Noëlle, the feminine form of the male given name Noël.

A female given name from French, often given to girls born near Christmas.


Ned

But, sweet Ned, - to sweeten the name of Ned, I give thee this pennyworth of sugar

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

A medieval diminutive of the male given name Edward.


Maria

From Latin Maria, from Ancient Greek Μαρία (María), Μαριάμ (Mariám), from Aramaic מרים (Maryām), corresponding to the Hebrew מרים (Miryām). Doublet of Mary, Marie, and Miriam.

Yet herein they come short of the monks and friars in their conceits of the word Maria; they have so tossed it and turned it, so anagrammatized and transposed it, that never were five poor letters so worried since time did put them into the alphabet.

1629, Thomas Adams, Meditations upon Creed, The Works of Thomas Adams, James Nichol (1862), volume 3, page 211

By their dresses, their names, and the airs of quality they give themselves, I am rendered ridiculous among all my acquaintance. My wife, who is a very plain good woman, and whose name is Amey, has been new-christened, and is called Amelia; and my little daughter, a child of a year old, is no longer Polly, but Maria.

1776, Adam Fitz-Adam: The World of Adam Fitz-Adam. Edinburgh, Apollo Press 1776: Numb. 187. Thursday, July 29, 1756

I've just kissed a girl named Maria / And suddenly I found how wonderful a sound can be! / Maria! Say it loud and there's music playing / Say it soft and it's almost like praying

1957, “Maria”, in Stephen Sondheim (lyrics), Leonard Bernstein (music), West Side Story:


Mons

A diminutive of the female given name Monica

A diminutive of the male given name Montgomery


Margarita

Borrowed from the Latin and Spanish Margarita (“Margaret”).


Jean

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

doublet

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

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

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

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

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

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


Jean

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


Nick

His name is Nick. I love it. It makes him seem nice, and regular, which he is. When he tells me his name, I say, 'Now, that's a real name.'

2012, Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl, Phoenix, published 2013, →ISBN, pages 14–15:

A diminutive of the male given name Nicholas.

Niĉjo

Diminutive of the male given name Nicholas


Nelly

A spelling variant of Nellie, a diminutive of the female given names Eleanor, Helen, and Chanel.


Mai

Chinese surname with several origins:
* from Mandarin 麥／麦 (“wheat”),
* from Mandarin and Cantonese 買／买 (maai⁵, “buy”)
* Cantonese form of 米 (see Mi).
* Romanized from 马 (mǎ) (see Ma)
* Romanized from 梅 (méi) (see Mei)
As a German surname, variant of May.

A female given name, a rare spelling variant of Mae/May, or borrowed from Scandinavia, with the same ultimate origin.


Max

Borrowed from the German Max, diminutive of Maximilian in the 19th century, later also used as a nickname for Maxwell.

Since it seems to me that this fad of child-rearing has turned into an actual trend, that babies are an increasingly popular accessory for people-on-the-go, I first want to say to stop naming your boys Max. Max is a perfectly nice name, ensuring its owner a certain precocious sensibility, but there are enough Maxes now. Any more Maxes and the breed will go to the dogs.

2002, Cynthia Heimel, If You Can't Live Without Me, Why Aren't You Dead Yet?, Grove Press, →ISBN, page 177:

Kyle: Okay, Max. Search.

A diminutive of the female given name Maxine


Kali

From Sanskrit काली (kālī) or कालिका (kālikā).

A female given name from Sanskrit used especially in India.


Laurel

"What on earth made Becky give you a name like that?" she'd asked Laurel, on that first occasion.
"It's the state flower of West Virginia," Laurel told her, smiling. "Where my mother came from."

1972, Eudora Welty, The Optimist's Daughter, Random House, →ISBN, page 27:

A female or male given name from English from the laurel plant.


Norm

A diminutive of the male given name Norman


Mac

A diminutive of the male given name Max.


Nanny

A diminutive of the female given names Ann or Anne.


Ocean

From ocean (“sea”), inspired by the fashionable French female name Océane.

'Ocean still isn't sleeping through the night.' I don't blame her. She's probably traumatised by her ridiculous name.

2019 March 5, Elly Griffiths, The Stranger Diaries, Houghton Mifflin, →ISBN, page 25:

A female given name from English, of modern usage.


Marcel

Borrowed from French Marcel, from Latin Marcellus, diminutive of Marcus. Doublet of Marcellus.


Molly

→ Irish: Mallaidh

→ Swedish: Molly

From Moll, diminutive lambdacism of Mary + -y.


Joanna

/ˌd͡ʒoʊˈænə/

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, Joanne, Johanna, Juana, Shavonne, Sian, Siobhan, Shane, Shaun, Shauna, and Sheena.

A female given name from Latin [in turn from Hebrew].

جُوَانَّا

transliterations of the given name — see also Jane

乔安娜 (Qiáo'ānnà, literally “tall, peaceful, graceful”)