we all have our favourite names, but what do they mean? Search for your most meaningful names and tell us what they mean to you and why their origins speak to you! [name]Happy[/name] naming!
rhiannon- divine queen
erica- eternal ruler
zoe- life
valora- healthy
[name]Amaya[/name] = night rain
I love that meaning so much!
[name]Vera[/name]=truth
[name]Giada[/name]=jade
[name]Annora[/name]=honor
[name]Aveline[/name]=hazel
[name]Eva[/name]/[name]Eve[/name]/All “[name]Viv[/name]-” names=life
[name]Carys[/name]=love
[name]Maren[/name]=sea
Evangline=bearer of good news
[name]Luna[/name]=moon
[name]Juliet[/name]=youthful
[name]Annabel[/name]=loving
[name]Emma[/name]=healer of the universe
[name]Clara[/name]=bright, clear
[name]Nadia[/name]=hope
[name]Jude[/name]=praise (b)
[name]Mirabella[/name]=wonderful
[name]Aurora[/name]=dawn
[name]Cordelia[/name]=daughter of the sea
[name]Asher[/name]/[name]Felix[/name]/[name]Prosper[/name]=fortunate, blessed, prosperous, happy one (b)
[name]Lucia[/name]=light
[name]Aurelia[/name]=golden
[name]Sophia[/name]/[name]Sophie[/name]=wisdom
[name]Emiliana[/name]/[name]Melia[/name]=energetic
[name]Amity[/name]=friendship
[name]Gemma[/name]=precious stone
[name]Chloe[/name]=young green shoot
[name]Ramona[/name]=wise protector
[name]Phoebe[/name]=radiant, shining one
[name]Victoria[/name]=victory
[name]Neal[/name]=cloud (b)
[name]Adair[/name]=cheerful
[name]Milo[/name]=mild (b)
[name]Nalani[/name]=calm skies
[name]Querida[/name]=dear, beloved
[name]Leilani[/name]=heavenly flower
[name]Jemima[/name]/[name]Paloma[/name]=dove
[name]Selena[/name]=moon goddess
[name]Amalia[/name]=industrious
[name]Sylvie[/name]/[name]Sylvia[/name]=from the woods
Wow, there are so many of these that I love!!! Cool topic! 
I love [name]Evangeline[/name], [name]Mirabella[/name] and [name]Aurora[/name] as well, three of my favourites!
What means most to you, the name or the meaning? Would do throw a name out over a deplorable meaning?
Hmm, I guess it depends on the name. For a name like [name]Leah[/name], the meaning (weary) might help to turn me off, but it would be only one of several factors (popularity, etc.) that caused me to not like the name.
Sometimes I would use a meaning to honor a family member (for example, using [name]Clara[/name] to honor a [name]Helen[/name] or [name]Elaine[/name]).
On the other hand there are some names I like just for the meaning and not for the name…
Overall I think if a name I really loved had a bad meaning, I would be able to put the meaning past me. If it had a good meaning, it would just be another plus.
Here are some more good meanings I found:
[name]Louisa[/name]=renowned warrior
[name]Audrey[/name]=noble strength
[name]Charles[/name] (b)/[name]Caroline[/name]/[name]Charlotte[/name]=free (man)
[name]Matilda[/name]=battle-mighty
[name]Willa[/name]=resolute protection
[name]Naomi[/name]/[name]Noemi[/name]=my joy, my delight
[name]Abigail[/name]=my father is joyful
[name]Alea[/name]=chance, risk (Italian word)
[name]Daphne[/name]=laurel tree
[name]Evadne[/name]=pleasing one
[name]Mabel[/name]=beautiful lover
[name]Susan[/name]/[name]Susannah[/name]=lily
[name]Edmund[/name]=wealthy protector
[name]Clancy[/name]=red-headed warrior (b/g)
[name]Stella[/name]/[name]Estella[/name]/[name]Seren[/name]=star
[name]Lyra[/name]- “lyre” (also a Constellation)
[name]Eleanor[/name]- “bright shining one”
[name]Emma[/name]- “healer of the Universe” (I was absolutely floored by this one! I have always liked the name, but that meaning is beautiful… too bad my husband doesn’t like the name much.)
[name]Penelope[/name]- “duck” (this one just made me laugh)
[name]Alexander[/name]- “defender of man” (I’m obsessed with this name in all its forms)
[name]Frederick[/name]- “peaceful ruler”
[name]Nicholas[/name]- “people of victory”
[name]Simon[/name]- “listener” (very refreshing not to have a name with a knight riding into battle image attached to the meaning-- also, one of my ABSOLUTE favorite names and the only name that my husband hates vehemently. Go figure.)
Funny: [name]Travis[/name]’ favorite name ever is [name]Gideon[/name] (a Bible name) which means “feller of trees.” My favorite Bible name is [name]Isaac[/name] which means “laughter.” I think I win that one. Haha.
Boys
[name]Arthur[/name] “bear man”
[name]Bernard[/name] “brave as a bear”
[name]Gavin[/name] “little hawk”
[name]Isaac[/name] “laughter”
[name]Lionel[/name] “young lion”
[name]Nicholas[/name] “people of victory”
[name]Oliver[/name] “olive tree”
[name]Oscar[/name] “deer-lover”
[name]Peter[/name] “rock”
[name]Philip[/name] “lover of horses”
[name]Roscoe[/name] “deer forest”
[name]Theodore[/name] “gift of God”
Girls
[name]Anwen[/name] “very fair”
[name]Brenna[/name] “raven”
[name]Carys[/name] “love”
[name]Celeste[/name] “heavenly”
[name]Cordelia[/name] “daughter of the sea”
[name]Daphne[/name] “laurel tree”
[name]Eleanor[/name] “bright, shining one”
[name]Evelyn[/name] “hazelnut”
[name]Gwendolyn[/name] “white circle”
[name]Laura[/name] “bay laurel”
[name]Paloma[/name] “dove”
[name]Penelope[/name] “duck”
[name]Rachel[/name] “ewe”
[name]Rosamond[/name] “horse protection”
[name]Sylvia[/name] “from the forest”
[name]Tabitha[/name] “gazelle”
[name]Tallulah[/name] “leaping waters”
[name]Veronica[/name] “true image”
Still more:
[name]Seraphine[/name]/[name]Seraphina[/name]: ardent, fiery
[name]Leona[/name]/[name]Leon[/name] (b)/All “[name]Leo[/name]-” names: like a lion, like a lioness
[name]Nora[/name]: light
[name]Kai[/name]: willow tree, sea, forgiveness, earth (b)
[name]Aalia[/name]: to ascend
[name]Eli[/name]: ascended, uplifted, height (b)
[name]Florence[/name]/[name]Flora[/name]: flourishing, prosperous, flower
[name]Cynthia[/name]: of the moon
[name]Rosalind[/name]: red dragon
[name]Frederick[/name]: peaceful ruler (b)
[name]Catherine[/name]/All “[name]Cat[/name]-” or “[name]Kat[/name]-” names: pure
[name]Halia[/name]: remembrance of a loved one
[name]Nicholas[/name]/[name]Nico[/name]/[name]Nikolai[/name]: people of victory (b)
[name]Alexa[/name]/All “[name]Alex[/name]” names: man’s defender
[name]Reina[/name]: queen
[name]Annalise[/name]/[name]Annika[/name]/All “[name]Ann[/name]” names: grace
[name]Devlin[/name]: fierce courage (b)
[name]Hallie[/name]: the meadow by the manor
[name]Clementine[/name]: mercy
[name]Thalia[/name]: to flourish
[name]Mira[/name]: admirable
[name]Imogen[/name]: beloved child
Wow, I love [name]Isaac[/name] and [name]Simon[/name] too, but I had forgotten they had such great meanings!
[name]Caroline[/name] means “free woman” in French.
[name]Claire[/name] means “bright” in French.
[name]Anna[/name] is Hebrew for “grace.”
[name]Emily[/name] is “energetic” in Latin.
[name]Kyle[/name] is “narrow spit of land” in Scottish.
[name]Gavin[/name] is Celtic for “little hawk.”
[name]Jack[/name] is English for “God is gracious.”
That was fun!
I love [name]Mabel[/name] and [name]Emma[/name], I had never looked at their meanings because I don’t love the name [name]Mabel[/name] and [name]Emma[/name] is uber popular after [name]Rachel[/name] had her baby ([name]How[/name] long ago? And still rising!) but those are both beautiful and strong meanings!
[name]Gwendolyn[/name] and [name]Gavin[/name] have been on my radar for a long time. [name]Gwendolyn[/name] is my first choice for a girl all because of the meaning. It can also be interprited- Of the blessed (bless-ed) ring, [name]Purity[/name] and White. My finace and I have abstained from marital relations so she will be born out of an extremely sacred union. Also I wear a white ring as sign of my purity, I think it’s a great way to honor our choices and The Father for giving us such a gift!
So that’s why I love that meaning.
New names I’ve come across- [name]Lyre[/name] (music) and [name]Thisbe[/name] (lover) put them together and you have a music lover!
Sorry for the avalanche of posts, but there are just so many of these!!
[name]Leila[/name]=dark beauty, night
[name]Lila[/name]=lilac
[name]Reva[/name]=rain
[name]Neve[/name]/[name]Neva[/name]=snow
[name]Fletcher[/name]=arrow-maker
[name]Taj[/name]=crown
[name]Danica[/name]=morning star, [name]Venus[/name]
[name]Jessamine[/name]=jasmine flower
The combo [name]Cora[/name] (maiden) [name]Fay[/name] (fairy) means fairy maiden put together–I love that!!
[name]Dylan[/name] means “son of the sea” whereas [name]Adam[/name] means “son of the red earth”…I always thought that was cool! If you put [name]Thomas[/name] in front of either one of those it would mean "twin son of the red earth/the sea.
In response to the question about what is more important – the name or the meaning:
My husband and I choose names according to the following criteria:
-
[name]Do[/name] we like the sound and style of the name? If yes, then we go to . . .
-
Is the name very popular? My name was in the top ten when I was named and there were always multiples (3-5 usually) in my classes at school and at church. Popularity is a huge deterrent for us. We like names that are somewhat uncommon but ones that aren’t too odd. Though, in saying that, I must mention that the name we finally chose for our second daughter sounds the same as [name]Isla[/name], which is supposedly climbing fast in popularity.
-
Does the name have substance? Does it have a meaning that we would like to bless our chlid with? We are both Christians and, while we have not picked Biblical names, we value the emphasis that is placed in the Bible on giving names that have meaning. A negative meaning (ex. [name]Marla[/name] = bitter) or even a neutral one (ex. [name]Penelope[/name] = duck) would definitely prevent us from using a name as a first name. We might however, choose to use a name that doesn’t have a meaning we like if we were using it to honour someone or if it had associations / connotations beyond it’s meaning (ex. [name]Atticus[/name] = from Athens, not a great meaning, yet it is the name of an amazing literary character).
Girls
Aunchalee “greeting”
[name]Xenia[/name]/[name]Chimene[/name] “hospitality”
[name]Eleanor[/name] “shining light”
Quiterie “tranquil”
[name]Hillary[/name]/[name]Tatum[/name]/Ulani “cheerful”
Zeina “beautiful”
Caimile “a family is born”
[name]Damaris[/name] “gentle”
Gelasia “inclined to laughter”
[name]Risa[/name] “laughter”
Hanaya “heart; compassion”
[name]Ruth[/name] “companion”
[name]Haidee[/name] “modest; well-behaved”
[name]Justine[/name] “just; righteous”
[name]Hope[/name] “optimistic expectation”
[name]Renee[/name] “reborn”
Sunayna “beautiful eyes”
[name]Telma[/name] “determination”
[name]Felicia[/name]/[name]Felicity[/name] “happy; lucky”
[name]Shannon[/name]/[name]Sophie[/name]/[name]Zosia[/name] “wise; wisdom”
Boys
[name]Adriel[/name] “God is my shepherd”
[name]Asher[/name]/[name]Felix[/name] “lucky; happy”
[name]Max[/name] “greatest”
[name]Nicholas[/name] “victory of the people”
[name]Ian[/name] “God has been gracious”
[name]Jasper[/name]/[name]Casper[/name] “treasure”
[name]Chavez[/name] “dream maker”
Chebanse “duckling”
[name]Croix[/name]/[name]Cruz[/name] “cross”
[name]Dante[/name] “lasting”
[name]Dorian[/name] “gift”
[name]Matthew[/name]/[name]Nathaniel[/name]/[name]Jonathan[/name]/[name]Theodore[/name] “gift of the [name]Lord[/name]/God”
[name]Gareth[/name] “gentle”
[name]Gideon[/name] “mighty warrior”
[name]Ryan[/name] “little king”
[name]Gabriel[/name] “God is my strength”
[name]Hugh[/name] “intelligent”
[name]Justin[/name]/Jasher “just; righteous”
Jairus “He will enlighten”
[name]Samuel[/name] “God has heard”
Janu “soul; life force”
Jurrien “God will uplift”
[name]Killian[/name] “fighter”
[name]Dustin[/name] “valiant fighter”
[name]Rafe[/name] “healed by God”
[name]Ranen[/name] “joyous”
[name]Rhett[/name] “enthusiastic”
[name]Tobias[/name] “God is good”