amy’s blog on the mad house (tree)

ABIGAIL - Gender: Feminine  -Usage: English, German, Biblical  Pronounced: AB-i-gayl (English), AH-bee-giel (German) [key] From the Hebrew name אֲבִיגָיִל (’Avigayil) meaning “my father is joy”. In the Old Testament this is the name of the wife of Nabal. After he was killed she became the third wife of King David.ADA - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English, Polish  Pronounced: AY-da (English), AH-dah (Polish) [key] Short form of ADELAIDE. This name was borne by Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (known as Ada Lovelace), a daughter of Lord Byron. She was an assistant to Charles Babbage, the inventor of the analytical engine, an early mechanical computer.AGNES - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English, German, Dutch, Scandinavian  Pronounced: AG-nes (English), AHKH-nus (Dutch) [key] Latinized form of the Greek name ‘Αγνη (Hagne), derived from Greek ‘αγνος (hagnos) meaning “chaste”. Saint Agnes was a virgin martyred under the Roman emperor Diocletian. The name became associated with Latin agnus “lamb”, resulting in the saint’s frequent depiction with a lamb by her side.ALICE - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English, French, Portuguese  Pronounced: AL-is (English), a-LEES (French) [key] Short form of the Old French Adelais, itself a short form of Adalheidis (see ADELAIDE). This is the name of the heroine of Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ and ‘Through the Looking Glass’.ALYSSA - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English (Modern)  Pronounced: a-LIS-a [key] Either a variant of ALICIA, or else derived from the name of the alyssum flower.

AMELIA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, German, Spanish  Pronounced: a-MEE-lee-a (English), a-MEEL-ya (English), ah-ME-lee-ah (German) [key] Variant of AMALIA (or sometimes of EMILIA). A famous bearer was Amelia Earhart, the first woman to make a solo flight over the Atlantic Ocean

AMY - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: AY-mee [key] Derived from Old French aimée meaning “beloved”.

ANN - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: AN [key] English form of ANNE (1)

ANNE (1) - Gender: Feminine  Usage: French, English, German, Scandinavian, Finnish, Basque  Pronounced: AN (English, French), AH-nu (German) [key] French form of HANNAH. This is the name traditionally assigned to the mother of the Virgin Mary, though she is not mentioned in the Bible. The name was borne by a 17th-century English queen and also by the second wife of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn (the mother of Queen Elizabeth I), who was eventually beheaded in the Tower of London. This is also the name of the heroine in ‘Anne of Green Gables’ by Canadian author L. M. Montgomery.ANNE (2) - Gender: Masculine  Usage:

Frisian  Short form of names beginning with the Germanic element arn “eagle”.ANNIE - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: AN-ee [key]  Pet form of ANNE (1)

BARBARA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, Italian, French, German, Polish, Hungarian, Slovene  Pronounced: BAHR-bahr-a (English), BAHR-bra (English), bahr-BAH-rah (Polish) [key] Derived from Greek βαρβαρος (barbaros) meaning “foreign”. According to legend Saint Barbara was a young woman killed by her father Dioscorus, who was then killed by a bolt of lightning. She is the patron of architects, geologists, stonemasons and artillerymen.BERTHA - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

German, English  Pronounced: BER-tah (German), BUR-tha (English) [key] Derived from the Germanic element beraht meaning “bright, famous”. This is the name of a character in German legends who sneaks into nurseries and rocks children to sleep.

BEATRICE - Gender: Feminine  Usage: Italian, English  Pronounced: BEE-a-tris (English), BEE-tris (English), be-ah-TREE-che (Italian) [key] Italian form of BEATRIX. Beatrice is Dante’s guide through paradise in his poem ‘The Divine Comedy’. This is also the name of a character in Shakespeare’s play ‘Much Ado About Nothing’.

BETSY  - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: BET-see [key] Pet form of ELIZABETH

BLANCHE - Gender: Feminine  Usage: French, English  Pronounced: BLAWNSH (French), BLANCH (English) [key] Means “white, fair” in French.

CAROLE - Gender: Feminine  Usage: French  Pronounced: kar-OL [key] French feminine form of CAROLUS

CAROLINE - Gender: Feminine  Usage: French, English  Pronounced: ka-ro-LEEN (French), KER-o-lien (English) [key] French feminine form of CAROLUS

CATHERINE - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, French  Pronounced: KATH-u-rin (English), KATH-rin (English), ka-TREEN (French) [key] English variant and French form of KATHERINE

CATHY - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: KATH-ee [key] Short form of CATHERINE

CHARLOTTE - Gender: Feminine  Usage: French, English, German, Scandinavian  Pronounced: shar-LOT (French), SHAHR-laht (English), shahr-LAW-tu (German) [key] French feminine pet form of CHARLES. A notable bearer was Charlotte Bronte, the eldest of the three Bronte sisters and the author of ‘Jane Eyre’ and ‘Villette’CHRISTIANA - Gender: Feminine   Usage:

English  Pronounced: kris-tee-AN-a [key] Feminine form of CHRISTIAN

CHRISTINA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, German  Pronounced: kris-TEEN-a (English), kris-TEE-nah (German) [key] Feminine form of CHRISTIAN. This was the name of a Swedish queen of the 17th century who was interested in the arts and philosophy. She gave up her crown to become a Roman Catholic.CINDY - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English  Pronounced: SIN-dee [key] Pet form of CYNTHIA

CLARA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian, English  Pronounced: KLAH-rah (Italian, German, Spanish), KLER-a (English), KLAR-a (English) [key] Medieval name derived from Latin clarus “clear, bright, famous”.

CLARE - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: KLER [key] Medieval English form of CLARA. Saint Clare (real name Chiara), a follower of Saint Francis of Assisi, left her wealthy family to found the order of nuns known as the Poor Clares. This is also the name of an Irish county, which was originally named for the Norman invader Richard de Clare (known as Strongbow), whose surname was derived from the name of an English river.

DAPHNE - Gender: Feminine  Usage: Greek Mythology, English  Other Scripts: Δαφνη (Ancient Greek)  Pronounced: DAF-nee (English) [key] Means “laurel” in Greek. In Greek mythology she was a nymph turned into a laurel tree by her father in order that she might escape the pursuit of Apollo.

DIANE - Gender: Feminine  Usage: French, English  Pronounced: dee-AN (French), die-AN (English) [key] French form of DIANA

DORA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, Spanish  Pronounced: DOR-a (English) [key] Short form of DOROTHEA, ISIDORA or THEODORA

DOROTHY - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: DOR-o-thee, DOR-thee [key] English form of DOROTHEA. This name was used by Lyman Frank Baum for the central character in his fantasy novel ‘The Wizard of Oz’.EDITH - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English, German, Scandinavian, Dutch  Pronounced: EE-dith (English), E-dit (German) [key] Derived from the Old English element ead “rich, blessed” combined with gyæ “war”. This Old English name remained popular after the Norman conquest.

ELEANOR - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: EL-en-or [key] From the French form of the Provençal name Alienor. It was borne by Eleanor of Aquitaine (12th century), the wife of both Louis VII, the king of France, and Henry II, the king of England. She was named Aenor after her mother, and was called by the Provençal phrase alia Aenor “the other Aenor” in order to distinguish her from her mother. More recently, this name was also borne by the wife of American president Franklin Roosevelt.

ELIZA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: ee-LIE-za [key] Short form of ELIZABETH

ELIZABETH - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, Biblical  Pronounced: ee-LIZ-a-beth [key] From Ελισαβετ (Elisabet), the Greek form of the Hebrew name אֱלִישֶׁבַע (’Elisheva̵ meaning “my God is an oath” or perhaps “my God is abundance”. In the Old Testament Elisheba is the wife of Aaron. In the New Testament Elizabeth is the mother of John the Baptist. It was also borne by the 12th-century Saint Elizabeth, a daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary who became a Franciscan nun and lived in poverty. This was also the name of a ruling queen of England and an empress of Russia. Famous modern bearers include the British queen Elizabeth II and actress Elizabeth Taylor.ELLEN - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English, Dutch  Pronounced: EL-en (English), EL-lun (Dutch) [key] Medieval English form of HELEN. It is also the Dutch form of HELEN or ELEANOR

EMELY - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: EM-e-lee [key] Variant of EMILY

EMILY - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: EM-i-lee [key] Medieval feminine form of Aemilius (see EMIL). The British writer Emily Bronte, author of ‘Wuthering Heights’, and the American poet Emily Dickinson are two famous bearers of this name.EMMA - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English, French, Italian, Finnish, Dutch  Pronounced: EM-a (English) [key] Derived from Germanic ermen meaning “whole” or “universal”. This name was borne by the mother of Edward the Confessor and by an 11th-century German saint. This is also the name of the central character in Jane Austen’s novel ‘Emma’, the matchmaker Emma Woodhouse.

ESTHER - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, Jewish, French, Biblical  Other Scripts: אֶסְתֵר (Hebrew) Pronounced: ES-tur (English), es-TER (French) [key] Possibly means “star” in Persian. Alternatively it could be a Hebrew form of ISHTAR, the name of a Persian goddess. The Book of Esther in the Old Testament tells of Queen Esther, the Jewish wife of the king of Persia, who saves many Jews from persecution.ETHEL - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English  Pronounced: ETH-ul [key] Old short form of names beginning with the Old English element æðel meaning “noble”.

EVA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English, German, Dutch, Scandinavian, Czech, Bulgarian, Slovene, Russian  Other Scripts: Ева (Bulgarian, Russian)  Pronounced: E-vah (Italian, Spanish), EE-va (English), E-fah (German), AY-vah (Dutch) [key] Latinate form of EVE, and a variant Russian transcription of YEVA.EVELYN - Gender: Feminine & Masculine  Usage:

English  Pronounced: EV-e-lin, EV-lin [key] From a surname which was originally derived from the name AVELINE.FANNY - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: FAN-ee [key] Pet form of FRANCES. Since the late 19th century this has been a vulgar slang word, and the name has subsequently dropped out of common use.FIONA - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

Scottish  Pronounced: fee-O-na [key] Feminine form of FIONN. This name was first (?) used by Scottish poet James Macpherson in his poem ‘Fingal’ (1761).FLORENCE - Gender: Feminine & Masculine  Usage:

English, French  Pronounced: FLOR-ents (English), flo-RAWNS (French) [key] From the masculine Roman name Florentius which was derived from Latin florens “prosperous, flourishing”. The name can also be given in reference to the city in Italy, as in the case of Florence Nightingale. She was a nurse in British hospitals during the Crimean War and is usually considered the founder of modern nursing.

FRANCES - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: FRAN-ses [key] Feminine form of FRANCIS. Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini was an American social worker, the first American to be canonized.GERTRUDE - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English, German, Dutch  Pronounced: GUR-trood (English), khur-TRUY-du (Dutch) [key] Means “spear of strength”, derived from the Germanic elements ger “spear” and þruþ “strength”. Saint Gertrude the Great was a 13th-century nun and mystic writer. This name was also used by Shakespeare for the mother of Hamlet.

GLADYS - Gender: Feminine  Usage: Welsh, English  Pronounced: GLAD-is (English) [key] From the Welsh name Gwladus, derived from gwlad “country”. It has been sometimes used as a Welsh form of CLAUDIA

GLENDA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: Welsh  Pronounced: GLEN-da [key] Recently created, meaning “pure and good” from Welsh glan “pure, clean” and da “good”.

GRACE - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: GRAYS [key] Means “grace” from the English word, which ultimately derives from Latin gratia. The actress Grace Kelly was a famous bearer of this name

HANNAH - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, Jewish, French, German, Biblical  Pronounced: HAN-a (English), HAH-nah (German) [key] From the Hebrew name חַנָּה (Channah) which meant “favour” or “grace”. Hannah was the mother of the prophet Samuel in the Old Testament. The Latin version of this name is AnnaHARRIET - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English  Pronounced: HER-ee-et [key] Feminine form of HARRY. A famous bearer of this name was Harriet Beecher Stowe, the American author who wrote ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’.HEATHER - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English  Pronounced: HE-dhur [key] Means simply “heather” from the English word for the variety of small shrubs with pink or white flowers which commonly grow in rocky areas. It is derived from Middle English hather.

HELEN - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, Greek Mythology (Anglicized)  Pronounced: HEL-en [key] From the Greek ‘Ελενη (Helene), probably from the Greek ‘ελενη (helene) “torch” or “corposant”, or possibly from σεληνη (selene) “moon”. In Greek mythology Helen was the daughter of Zeus and Leda, whose kidnapping by Paris was the cause of the Trojan War. The name was also borne by Saint Helena, mother of the Roman emperor Constantine, who supposedly found the True Cross during a trip to Jerusalem. Another famous bearer was Helen Keller, the American author and lecturer who was both blind and deaf.HENRIETTA - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English  Pronounced: hen-ree-ET-a [key] Feminine pet form of HENRY

HILDA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, German, Dutch, Scandinavian  Pronounced: HIL-da (English), HIL-dah (German, Dutch) [key] Originally a short form of names containing the Germanic element hild “battle”.

ISABELLA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch  Pronounced: iz-a-BEL-a (English) [key]Latinate form of ISABEL

ISABELLE - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, French, German  Pronounced: IZ-a-bel (English), ee-za-BEL (French) [key] Variant of ISABEL

ISOBEL - Gender: Feminine  Usage: Scottish  Scottish form of ISABEL 

JANE - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: JAYN [key] English form of Jehanne, an Old French feminine form of Johannes (see JOHN). Jane Austen was the British novelist who wrote ‘Sense and Sensibility’ and ‘Pride and Prejudice’ among other works. Also, the central character in Charlotte Bronte’s ‘Jane Eyre’ bears this name.JANET - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English  Pronounced: JAN-et [key] Medieval pet form of JANE

JESSICA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: JES-i-ka [key] This name was first used in this form by Shakespeare in his play ‘The Merchant of Venice’, where it belongs to the daughter of Shylock. Shakespeare probably based it on the biblical יִסְכָה (Yiskah), the name of a minor character in Genesis, which meant “YAHWEH beholds” in Hebrew. Jessica is sometimes used as a feminine form of JESSE.JESSIE (1) - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

Scottish  Pronounced: JES-ee [key] Scottish pet form of JEAN (2)

JESSIE (2) - Gender: Feminine & Masculine  Usage: English  Pronounced: JES-ee [key] Pet form of JESSICA or JESSE

JOANNA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, Polish, Biblical  Pronounced: jo-AN-a (English), yaw-AHN-nah (Polish) [key] Latinized form of Ιωαννα (Ioanna), feminine form of Ioannes (see JOHN). This is the name of a follower of Jesus in the New Testament.JOYCE - Gender: Feminine & Masculine  Usage:

English  Pronounced: JOIS [key] From the (masculine) medieval name Josse, which was derived from the earlier Joceus or Jodocus, Latinized forms of the Breton name Jodoc meaning “lord”. The name belonged to a 7th-century Breton saint. This first name also formed the basis for a surname, as in the case of the novelist James Joyce.

JULIA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, German, Scandinavian, Spanish, Polish, Finnish, Ancient Roman, Biblical  Pronounced: JOO-lee-a (English), YOO-lee-ah (German), HOO-lyah (Spanish), YUWL-yah (Polish) [key] Latinate feminine form of JULIUS. This name was borne by a few early saints and martyrs and was also used by Shakespeare in his comedy ‘The Two Gentlemen of Verona’.JULIE - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

French, English  Pronounced: zhoo-LEE (French), JOO-lee (English) [key] French form of JULIA

KATE - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: KAYT [key] Short form of KATHERINE. This is the name of the woman who Petruchio marries and tries to tame in Shakespeare’s comedy ‘The Taming of the Shrew’.KATHERINE - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English  Pronounced: KATH-u-rin, KATH-rin [key] From the Greek name Αικατερινη (Aikaterine). The etymology is debated: it could derive from the earlier Greek name ‘Εκατερινη (Hekaterine), which came from ‘εκατερος (hekateros) “each of the two”; it could derive from the name of the goddess HECATE; it could be related to Greek αικια (aikia) “torture”; or it could be from a Coptic name meaning “my consecration of your name”. The Romans associated it with Greek καθαρος (katharos) “pure” and changed their spelling from Katerina to Katharina to reflect this. The name belonged to a 4th-century saint and martyr from Alexandria who was tortured on the famous Catherine wheel. Another saint by this name was Catherine of Siena, a 14th-century mystic. This name was also borne by two empresses of Russia, including Catherine the Great, and by three of Henry VIII’s wives.

KATHLEEN - Gender: Feminine  Usage: Irish, English  Pronounced: kath-LEEN [key] Anglicized form of CAITLÍN

KEREN - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: KER-en [key] Short form of KEREN-HAPPUCH

KEZIAH - Gender: Feminine  Usage: Biblical, English  Other Scripts: קְצִיעָה (Hebrew)  Pronounced: ke-ZIE-a [key] Means “cassia” in Hebrew, from the name of the spice tree. In the Old Testament Keziah was a daughter of Job.

LAURA - Gender: Feminine Usage: English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Polish, Scandinavian, German  Pronounced: LAWR-a (English), LOW-rah (Spanish, Italian, Polish, German) [key] Feminine form of the Late Latin name Laurus, which meant “laurel”. In ancient Rome the leaves of laurel trees were used to create victors’ garlands. Saint Laura was a 9th-century Spanish martyr, a nun who was thrown into a vat of molten lead by the Moors. Another famous bearer was Laura Secord, a Canadian heroine during the War of 1812.

LAUREN - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: LAWR-en [key] Feminine form of LAURENCE (1). First popularized by Betty Jean Perske, who used Lauren Bacall as her stage name.LAURYN - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Variant of LAUREN

LAVINA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Variant of LAVINIA

LILIAN - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: LIL-ee-an [key] Variant of LILIANA

LIZZIE - Gender: Feminine Usage: English  Pronounced: LIZ-ee [key]Pet form of ELIZABETH

LILY - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: LIL-ee [key] Simply means “lily” from the name of the flower, a symbol of purity. The word is ultimately derived from Latin lilium

LINDA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: LIN-da [key] This name could be derived from several sources. It could be from Spanish linda meaning “beautiful”; it could be a short form of BELINDA or MELINDA; or it could be a short form of Germanic names ending with the element linde meaning “soft, tender”.LOUISA - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English  Pronounced: loo-EEZ-a [key] Latinate feminine form of LOUIS

LUCY - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: LOO-see [key] English feminine form of LUCIUS

LYDIA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, German, Biblical  Pronounced: LID-ee-a (English), LUY-dee-ah (German) [key] Means “from Lydia” in Greek. Lydia was a region on the west coast of Asia Minor. In the New Testament this is the name of a woman converted to Christianity by Saint Paul. LYNNE- Gender: Feminine & Masculine Usage:

English Pronounced: LIN [key] Variant of LYNN

MABEL - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: MAY-bul [key] Medieval short form of AMABEL

MAISIE - Gender: Feminine  Usage: Scottish  Pronounced: MAY-zee [key] Pet form of MAIREAD

MARGARET - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: MAHR-gret, MAHR-gur-et [key] Derived from Latin Margarita, which was from Greek μαργαριτης (margarites) meaning “pearl”, probably a borrowing from Sanskrit. Saint Margaret was martyred at Antioch in the 4th century. She is the patron saint of expectant mothers. Another famous bearer was Queen Margaret I of Denmark, who united Denmark, Sweden, and Norway in the 14th century. The name was also borne by Margaret Mitchell, author of ‘Gone with the Wind’.MARIA - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

Italian, Portuguese, German, Scandinavian, Dutch, Greek, Polish, Romanian, English, Finnish, Icelandic, Corsican  Other Scripts: Μαρια (Greek)  Pronounced: mah-REE-ah (Italian, German, Dutch), MAHR-yah (Polish) [key] Latinate form of MARY. This was the name of several queens of Portugal. It was also borne by the 18th-century Habsburg queen Maria Theresa, whose inheritance of the domains of her father, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, began the War of the Austrian Succession.MARIAN - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English  Pronounced: MER-ee-an [key] Variant of MARION (1), sometimes considered a combination of MARY and ANN.MARIANNE - Gender: Feminine  Usage: French  French form of MARIAMNE

MARION - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: MER-ee-un [key] Medieval French pet form of MARY. This name was borne in legend by Maid Marion, Robin Hood’s love.MARTHA - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English, Scandinavian, Greek, Biblical  Other Scripts: Μαρθα (Greek)  Pronounced: MAHR-tha (English) [key] Means “mistress of the house” or “lady” in Aramaic. This is the name of sister of Lazarus and Mary of Bethany in the New Testament. It was also borne by Martha Washington, the wife of the first American president

MARY - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, Biblical  Pronounced: MER-ee [key] Usual English form of Maria, which was the Latin form of the New Testament Greek names Μαριαμ (Mariam) or Μαρια (Maria) (the spellings are interchangeable), which were from the Hebrew name מִרְיָם (Miryam). The meaning is not known for certain, but there are several theories including “sea of bitterness”, “rebelliousness”, and “wished for child”. However it was most likely originally an Egyptian name, perhaps derived in part from mry “beloved” or mr “love”. This is the name of several New Testament characters, most importantly Mary the virgin mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene. Two queens of England have had this name, as well as a Queen of Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots.

MATILDA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: ma-TIL-da [key] Means “strength in battle” from Germanic maht “might, strength” and hild “battle”. This was the name of the wife of William the Conqueror.

MAY - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: MAY [key] Derived from the name of the month of May, which derives from Maia, the name of a Roman goddess. May is also another name of the hawthorn flower

MELISSA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek  Other Scripts: Μελισσα (Ancient Greek)  Pronounced: me-LIS-a (English) [key] Means “bee” in Greek. This was the name of a nymph that cared for young Zeus in Greek mythology. It is also the name of the fairy who helps Rogero escape from the witch Alcina in Ludovico Ariosto’s poem ‘Orlando Furioso’ (1516). MICHELLE - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

French, English  Pronounced: mee-SHEL (French), mi-SHEL (English) [key] French feminine form of MICHAEL

MILDRED - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English   Pronounced: MIL-dred [key] Means “gentle strength” from the Old English elements milde “gentle” and þryð “strength”. Saint Mildred was a 7th-century abbess, the daughter of the Kentish princess Saint Ermenburga.

MINNIE - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: MIN-ee [key] Pet form of WILHELMINA

MIRIAM - Gender: Feminine  Usage: Jewish, English, German, Biblical  Other Scripts: מִרְיָם (Hebrew)  Pronounced: MIR-ee-am (English) [key] Original Hebrew form of MARY. It is used in the Old Testament, where it belongs to the elder sister of Moses and Aaron.

NANA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: Greek  Other Scripts: Νανα (Greek)  Pet form of IOANNA

NANCY - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: NAN-see [key] Pet form of ANN. A city in France bears this name, though it derives from a different source.NATASHA - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

Russian, English  Other Scripts: Наташа (Russian) Pronounced: na-TASH-a (English) [key] Russian pet form of NATALYA. This is the name of a character in Leo Tolstoy’s novel ‘War and Peace’.NELLIE - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English  Pronounced: NEL-ee [key] Medieval pet form of ELEANOR or HELEN

NIKITA - Gender: Masculine  Usage: Russian  Other Scripts: Никита (Russian)  Pronounced: nee-KEE-tah [key] Russian form of the Greek name Aniketos (see ANICETUS).NINA (1) - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

Russian, English, German, French, Polish  Other Scripts: Нина (Russian)  Pronounced: NEE-nah (Russian, English, German, Polish) [key] Short form of names that end in nina. This name also coincides with the Spanish word niña meaning “little girl”.

Means “enclosure of fish” in Babylonian. This was the name of a Babylonian fertility goddess, the patron goddess of the city of Nineveh.OLIVE  - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: AHL-iv [key] From the English word for the type of tree, ultimately derived from Latin oliva.

PATRICK).PAULINE - Gender: Feminine  Usage: French, English, German  Pronounced: po-LEEN (French), paw-LEEN (English), pow-LEE-nu (German) [key] French feminine form of Paulinus (see

PAULINO).PEGGY - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: PEG-ee [key]Pet form of MEG

PHYLLIS - Gender: Feminine  Usage: Greek Mythology, English, German  Other Scripts: Φυλλις (Ancient Greek)  Pronounced: FIL-is (English) [key] Means “foliage” in Greek. In Greek myth this was the name of a girl who killed herself out of love for Demophon and was subsequently transformed into an almond tree.

PHOEBE - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, Greek Mythology (Latinized), Biblical  Pronounced: FEE-bee (English) [key] Latinized form of the Greek name Φοιβη (Phoibe), which meant “bright, pure” from Greek φοιβος (phoibos). In Greek mythology Phoibe was a Titan associated with the moon. This was also an epithet of her granddaughter, the moon goddess Artemis. A moon of Saturn bears this name in honour of the Titan. This name also appears in Paul’s epistle to the Romans in the New Testament, where it belongs to a female minister in the church at Cenchreae.RACHEL - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English, Jewish, French, German, Biblical  Other Scripts: רָחֵל (Hebrew)  Pronounced: RAY-chel (English), ra-SHEL (French) [key] Means “ewe” in Hebrew. She was the favourite wife of Jacob and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin in the Old Testament.

REBECCA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, Italian, Swedish, Biblical  Pronounced: re-BEK-a (English) [key] From the Hebrew name רִבְקָה (Rivqah), possibly meaning “a snare” in Hebrew, or perhaps derived from an Aramaic name. This was the name of the wife of Isaac and the mother of Esau and Jacob in the Old Testament. RITA - Gender: Feminine   Usage: English, Scandinavian, German, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese  Pronounced: REE-tah (English, German) [key]

Short form of MARGARITA and other names ending in rita.

ROSINA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: Italian  Italian pet form of ROSA (1). This is the name of a character in Rossini’s opera ‘The Barber of Seville’. RUBY -Gender: Feminine & Masculine  Usage: English  Pronounced: ROO-bee [key]Simply means “ruby” from the name of the precious stone (which ultimately derives from Latin ruber “red”), which is the birthstone of July. This name can also be a pet form of REUBEN.

RUTH - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, German, Scandinavian, Biblical  Other Scripts: רוּת (Hebrew)  Pronounced: ROOTH (English), ROOT (German) [key] From a Hebrew name which was derived from the Hebrew word רְעוּת (re’ut) meaning “friend”. This is the name of the central character in the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament. She was a Moabite woman who was the ancestor of King David.

SAMANTHA  - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: sa-MAN-tha [key] Perhaps intended to be a feminine form of SAMUEL, using the popular name suffix antha. It is sometimes claimed to mean “listener” in Aramaic.SANDRA - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

Italian, English, German, Dutch  Pronounced: SAHN-drah (Italian, Dutch), SAN-dra (English), ZAHN-drah (German) [key] Short form of ALESSANDRA or ALEXANDRA. This is the middle name of the heroine in George Meredith’s novel ‘Sandra Belloni’.SARAH - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English, French, German, Jewish, Biblical  Other Scripts: שָׂרָה (Hebrew)  Pronounced: SER-a (English), ZAH-rah (German) [key] Means “lady” or “princess” in Hebrew. This was the name of the wife of Abraham in the Old Testament. She became the mother of Isaac at the age of 90. Her name was originally שָׂרָי (Saray), but God changed it (see Genesis 17:15).SELINA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Possibly a variant of SELENE or CÉLINE

SHEENAH - Gender: Feminine  Usage: Scottish, English  Pronounced: SHEE-na [key] Anglicized form of SÌNE

SHEELAGH - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English (Modern)  Variant of SHEILA

SHIRLEY - Gender: Feminine & Masculine  Usage: English  Pronounced: SHUR-lee [key] From a surname which was originally derived from a place name meaning “bright clearing” in Old English. This is the name of the main character in Charlotte Bronte’s semi-autobiographical novel ‘Shirley’. The child actress Shirley Temple helped to popularize this name.

SOPHIA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, Greek, German, Italian, Ancient Greek  Other Scripts: Σοφια (Ancient Greek)  Pronounced: so-FEE-a (English), zo-FEE-ah (German) [key] Means “wisdom” in Greek. This was the name of an early, probably mythical, saint who died of grief after her three daughters were martyred.

STEPHANIE - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, German  Pronounced: STEF-an-ee (English), SHTE-fah-nee (German) [key] Feminine form of STEPHEN

SUSAN - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: SOO-zan [key] Short form of SUSANNA. A notable bearer was Susan B. Anthony, an American feminist of the 19th century.SUSANNAH - Gender: Feminine  Usage:

English, Biblical (Variant)  Other Scripts: שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (Hebrew)  Form of SUSANNA found in some versions of the Old Testament.TABITHA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, Biblical  Pronounced: TAB-i-tha [key] Means “gazelle” in Aramaic. Tabitha in the New Testament was a woman restored to life by Saint Peter. The name in Greek is Dorcas (see Acts 9:36). TAMARA-  Gender: Feminine  Usage: Russian, English  Other Scripts: Тамара (Russian) Pronounced: tah-MAH-rah (Russian), ta-MA-ra (English) [key]Russian form of TAMAR. The name can also mean “spice” in Sanskrit

THERESA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English, German, Scandinavian  Pronounced: te-RAY-sa (English), te-REE-sa (English), te-RE-zah (German) [key] From the Spanish and Portuguese name Teresa. The meaning is uncertain, but it could be derived from Greek

θερος (theros) “summer”, from Greek θεριζω (therizo) “to harvest”, or from the name of the Greek island of Thera (the main island of Santorini). A famous bearer was Maria Theresa, an Austrian Habsburg queen of the 18th century. She inherited the domains of her father, Charles VI, the Holy Roman Emperor, which began the War of the Austrian Succession.THIRZA - Gender: Feminine  Usage: Dutch  Dutch form of TIRZAH

VIOLET - Gender: Feminine  Usage: English  Pronounced: VIE-let, VIE-o-let [key] Means simply “violet” from the English word for the purple flower. It is ultimately derived from Latin viola.