Western names coined from or based on words

Air > Names > Western names coined from or based on words

Adanelia (F)

Compound of the two names English Adán (English: Adam) and Helia (Greek: sun): Adam's sun

Africa (F)

name adopted in the 20th century by African-Americans conscious of their ancestral heritage.

Aiza (F)

Philippines, from "ice"

Alizée (F)

French alizé, a wind

Aloha (F)

USA, polynesian: love

Amber (F)

Amethyst (F)

= Améthyste (fra)

Amity (F)

friendship

Anaa (F)

an island

Anitra (F)

Eng, scand, germ: name invented by Henrik Ibsen for his novel Peer Gynt

Archer (M)

from a family name

Arkansas (M)

American state

Arlene (F)

from Marlene or Charlene

= Arlène (fra)

Asia (F)

the continent, Assyrian asu=east

Aspen (F)

USA, the tree

Autumn

USA

Azure (F)

from the color

-> Azura

Banquo (M)

Scotland, coined by Shakespeare in MacBeth

Beau (M)

Anglo-saxon, from french: handsome

-> Bo

Beige (M)

USA, the colour

Berry (F)

the fruit

Beryl (F)

pale green gem

-> Beryle, Berry

Bird (F)

-> Birdella, Birdie

Blessing (F)

Bliss (F)

-> Blisse

Blossom (F)

Bonnie

US; scottish: good, pretty, attractive

Briar (F)

After the briar-rose

Brick

USA

Brilliana (F)

Invented for his daughter by Sir Edward Conway, governor of Brill in Holland

Buck (M)

USA, from a nickname denoting a robust and dynamic young man, from the word denoting a male deer.

Bud (M)

USA, diminutive of buddy

-> Budd, Buddy

Bull (M)

From the animal

Bunny

A little rabbit

Bunty (F)

From a dialectic nickname for a lamb, verb to bunt=to give a little nudge with the head.

Burl (M)

burly

-> Burle

Buster (M)

USA, from a nickname from slang buster=breaker, crusher (a nickname of the actor Joseph francis "Buster" Keaton)

Camelia (F)

The flower

Camomille (F)

France: the plant

Cannelle (F)

Fra: cinnamon

Carys (F)

Wel câr=love, -ys=suffix added under the influence of names like Gladys

-> Carys, Caryl

Casey (M, F)

Nickname of an American hero who sacrificed himself to save the passengers of the Cannonball express; from his birth place, Cayce

-> Casy

Certain (M)

Fra: certain, sure

Chance (M)

Originally a nickname for a hardcore gambler or a lucky survivor.

Chanel (F)

USA, from Coco Chanel (French canal=channel)

Charity (F)

-> Chari

= Caridad, Charita, Chara (sp)

Charmaine (F)

Charm with the popular suffix –aine / from Charmian

Chastity (F)

-> Chasity

Chauncey (M)

Name of the 2^nd president of Harvard, Charles Chauncey, spread by his students

-> Chauncy

Cherene (F)

USA, Cher with the popular suffix –ene

Cherie (F)

USA, French chérie=dear

-> Cherry, Cher, Cherrie, Sherry, Sheri, Sher, Cherida (influenced by querida)

Cherish (F)

Cherokee (M)

From the tribe name

Cherry (F)

The fruit

= Cerise (fra)

Cheryl (F)

Cherry+Beryl

-> Cherilyn, Sharyl, Cherelle

Cheryth (F)

Charry+Gwyneth, influenced by the biblical place Cherith (dry riverbed where the prophet Elijah found refuge)

Chriselda (F)

Chris+Griselda

Christabel (F)

Christine plus the suffix –bel referring to Belle

-> Christabelle, Christabella, Christobel

Christmas (M)

Given to a boy born on Christmas day

Claramae (F)

Clara+Mae

Clarence (M)

Name created in honor of the Duke of Clare, a son of Edward III in the 14^th c. whose Latin title was Dux Clarentiae

-> Clarent

Clarimond

France, lat clarus=brilliant, germ mund=protection

-> F: Claremonde, Esclairemonde (fra)

Clover (F)

The plant

Cora (F)

Invented by Fenimore Cooper in Last of the Mohicans, from greek Korê, the daughter of Persephone

-> Coretta

Cordelia (F)

Invented by Shakespeare in King Lear, maybe from Cordula, from crodis, latin diminutive of cor=heart

= Cordèle, Cordélie (fra), Kordula (germ)

-> F: Cordey, Kordula, Cordi, Delia, Della

-> M: Cordell, Cordello

Crescence (F)

Cressida (F)

Latinization by Shakespeare of a Trojan character, daughter of Chalcas in love with Diomedes. Her name was first used as Briseida, Chrysêida, Criseyde.

-> Cressa

Clyde (M)

USA, a Scottish river that crosses Glasgow

Comfort (M, F)

Daffodil (F)

A flower whose name is from ned de affodil (French asphodèle)

Dahlia (F)

The flower, which takes its name from the botanist Anders Dahl

Daisy (F)

The flower, o.e. dægesêage=eye of day (because it closes its petals at night)

Darien (M)

USA, cross between Darren and Darius

Darlene (F)

Alteration of Darling

-> Darleen, Darline

Darnell (M)

USA, from darnel

Dawn (F)

-> Dawna, Dawny, Dawnee

Dee (M, F)

Diminutive for names beginning in D.

DeForest (M)

USA, surname adopted as a homage to writer John DeForest

-> Deforrest

Dell (M)

From a surname

Delsey (F)

USA

DeMar

From a surname

Derry (M)

Derek+Terry

Desdemona (F)

Shakespeare character from the latinization of greek dysdaimón=evil-starred

Destiny (F)

-> Destinie, Destiney, Destinee

Diamond (F)

= Diamant (fra)

Diandrea (F)

Diana+Andrea

Dimella (F)

Phonetic name

Dixie (F)

USA, word used in reference to the South especially during the Civil war, from the Cajun word dix that designated the $10 bills printed in New Orleans.

Dorinda (F)

Dora+-inda

Dove (F)

-> Dovey

Endeavour (M)

Enola (F)

Faith (F)

Fanny (F)

France: diminutive of Stéphanie

English: diminutive of Frances

Fauvette (F)

Fr: a bird species

Fawn (F)

-> Fawnia

Fay (F)

Fairy

-> Fae, Faye

Fern (F)

Flair (F)

From the word denoting a particular talent in a certain domain

Fleur (F)

= Flower (eng)

Flinders (M)

From a surname, from the Flanders, denoting an immigrant from the area to the UK.

Flint (M)

From a surname, maybe denoting someone that made a commerce of it.

-> Flynt

Floella (F)

Flo+Ella

Foehn (M)

France; a wind

Ford (M)

From a surname

Foster (M)

From a surname, from foster / forster=forester / forester= hedge clipper / fuyster=saddler

Fox (M)

Framboise (F)

Fr: Raspberry

Frusanna (F)

Frances+Susanna

Fürchtegott (M)

Germany, Protestant: Fear God, translation of Timothy

Galaxy

Loredana (F)

Invented by italian novelist Luciano Zuccoli for his novel, "L'amore de Loredana". He may have adopted the name from that of a family prominent in Venice in the 15th and 16th centuries. The best-known of these today is the Doge Leonardo Loredan, who was the subject of one of Giovanni Bellini's portraits. The surname may have derived from Loreo, which is about 20 miles south of Venice.

Star

Starlight

Wallace (M)

From a surname, o.f waleis=foreigner, used by the Normans to denote the other peoples when they were a minority

-> Wally

Wallis (M)

After the island

Warren (M)

From a surname, from a place in Normandy: La Varenne= the animal park / germ war(in)=guard

Wendy (F)

Invented by J. M. Barrie for Peter Pan, from the nickname Fwendy-Wendy given to him by a little girl of his acquaintance.

-> Wenda, Wendi