Category Archives: Colour Names

Numan

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  • Origin: Arabic نُعْمان
  • Meaning: “blood; red; bliss; anemone flower.”
  • Transliterations: Nu’man; Nouman (Maghrebi Arabic; Persian); Noman নোমান (Bengali, Tatar, Urdu)
  • Gender: Male
  • Pron (NOO-mahn)

The name comes directly from the Arabic word نُعْمان (nu’man), which is a poetic term describing “blood” as in a type of blood that brings vitality and beauty. It is also the word for the colour crimson and the anemone flower. It is ultimately from the root n–ʿ–m (ن ع م), which shares the same root with Naim نعم (comfort, tranquility, luxury, ease).

Numan ibn al-Munḏir (d. 602 CE) was one of the last Lakhmid kings of al-Ḥīrah, a pre-Islamic Arab Christian kingdom in southern Iraq. He is remembered in Arabic literature for his eloquence and patronage of poets.

In early Islamic history, Numan ibn Bashir al-Ansari (d. 684 CE) was a Companion of the Prophet Muḥammad and a prominent figure in the first Islamic century.

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Odhrán, Odharnait

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  • Origin: Irish-Gaelic
  • Meaning: “dun, pale, sallow, greenish-grey.”
  • Masc pron: Masc. (AW-rawn); Fem (AR-net)

Both names are rooted in the Old Irish adjective odhar, meaning “dun, pale, sallow, greenish-grey.” The word originally described earthy or muted colors — the shade of an animal’s coat, or a green-brown hue in nature.

Odhrán (modern spelling in Irish, often Anglicized as Oran or Orin) is a diminutive form: odhar + -án, meaning “little pale one” or “little sallow/greenish one.”

Odharnait is the feminine form, built from odhar + –ainait, a feminine diminutive ending.

Odhrán is well-attested in medieval Ireland. A 6th-century saint named Odhrán of Iona (also called Odran) was a companion of St. Columba and is remembered as one of the first Irish Christian martyrs. His feast day is celebrated on October 27.

Anglicized Male Variations

  • Odran
  • Otteran
  • Oran, Oren, Orrin

Anglicized Female Variations

  • Eorna
  • Odarnata (Latinized)
  • Odarnat
  • Orna, Ornat

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Elliw

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  • Origin: Welsh
  • Gender: feminine
  • Meaning: “colour”
  • Pronunciation, sounds kind of like Eshew

The name is derived from the Welsh lliw, meaning “colour.” The name has been in use since Medieval Times.

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Harini

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  • Origin: Sanskrit हरिणी
  • Meaning: “doe; yellow; tawny; green”
  • Gender: feminine
  • Pron: HER-ee-nee

The name is from the Sanskrit हरिण (harina), which can refer to a doe as well as to a yellowish-greenish colour, such as tawny or green. It is used to refer to yellow jasmine as well as to an idol made of gold. Harini (doe) is also used to describe one of four classes of a type of woman, feminine and sweet like a doe. It is also an epithet for the goddess Lakshmi.

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Ianthe

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  • Origin: Greek Ἰάνθη
  • Meaning: “violet flower.”
  • Gender: feminine
  • Eng pron: (i-AN-thee); Grk pron: (ee-AHN-thay)

The name comes directly from the Greek ἴον (ion) meaning “violet” and ἄνθος (anthos). It is borne in Greek mythology by an Oceanid nymph who was responsible for violet flowers and purple tinged clouds. It is also the name of Cretan woman in Greek mythology who marries Iphis after she is turned into a man by Aphrodite.

It was in vogue in 19th-century England, being the nickname for Lady Charlotte Harley, by Lord Byron to whom the poem, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage is dedicated. It was also used by Percey Bysshe Shelley’s poem, Queen Mab, in which it is the name of a character. Shelley later named his daughter Ianthe. It is also the name of a character in John William Polidori’s 1819 short story, The Vampyre. It was the pen-name of American writer and poet, Emma Catherine Embury (1806-1863).

In recent literature, it is the name of a character in the Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas.

Other forms/Usages

  • Ianthé (French)
  • Janthe (German, Late Latin)
  • Ianta Ианта (Russian)

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Azraq, Zaraq, Zarqaa

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  • Origin: Arabic زرقاء
  • Meaning: “blue”
  • (uz-ROCK); (zuh-ROCK); (zar-KA)
  • Usage: Arabic-Speaking countries, India and Pakistani among Muslim communities

Azraq أَزْرَق is from the masculine Arabic noun from the word for blue. The name has occasional use in Arabic-speaking North Africa and the Levant.

It’s feminine form of Zarqaa زرقاء is the Arabic feminine version of the word for blue زرقاء. It is transliterated as Zerqa or Zerka in Maghrebi Arab countries. Zerka can also be the Bosnian or Albanian form. This name has occasional use across the Islamic world.

Zaraq زرق is an Arabic unisex name derived from the neuter Arabic noun meaning “greenish-blue,” roughly translating to the color of turquoise (not the gemstone which in Arabic is Fairuz فيروز). Zaraq is mainly used as a masculine name in Southeast Asian countries such as Pakistan and India, but is considered unisex in the Arabic-Speaking world.

All three names derive from the Arabic root word z-r-q (ز-ر-ق), which means “blue.”

Other transliterations of the feminine form are Zurqa and Zurqa.’

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Gauri

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  • Origin: Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi गौरी
  • Meaning: “fair; light-skinned; white; brilliant.”
  • Gender: feminine
  • Pronunciation: GORE-ee

The name comes directly from the Sanskrit word meaning “fair; light-skinned; white; brilliant.” In Hinduism, this is an epithet for the goddess Parvati in her Mahagauri form.

The Kannada and Tamil form is Gowri கௌரி (Tamil) & ಗೌರಿ (Kannada).

Gauri can also be a Finnish male form of the name Gabriel.

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Glesni

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  • Origin: Welsh
  • Meaning: “blueness; verdure.”
  • Gender: feminine
  • Pronunciation: GLESS-nee

The name is derived from the Welsh word glesni (blueness; verdure).

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Kaltra, Kaltrina

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  • Origin: Albanian
  • Meaning: “blue.”
  • Gender: feminine

The names are derived from the Albanian word kaltër meaning “sky blue; blue.”

The Kaltrina form has also been used as a form of Catherine.

Kaltrina is borne by Albanian pop-singer, Kaltrina Selimi (b.1985).

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Coral, Coralia

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Portrait_of_a_Woman_with_Coral_Beads_by_Hans_Canon

Coral comes directly from the word for the marine invertebrates whose detached exoskeletons have been used for centuries by various cultures to create jewelry. The word itself is derived from the Greek κοραλλιον (korallion).

It is also the name of an orangish-pink colour.

As a given-name, it has been in use for centuries as its Greek form of Koralia (Coralia in Late Latin) was borne by a 4th-century Christian saint and martyr.

There are records for Corilia in 16th-century England, Corelia in 17th-century England Coreyle in 16th-century Württemberg & Corille in 17th-century France.

Coral appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 between 1881 & 1992, peaking at #486 in 1888.

Other forms of the name include:

  • Koraljka (Croatian)
  • Coral (English, Spanish)
  • Coralia (English, Late Latin)
  • Corilia (English)
  • Corail (French)
  • Corille (French, archaic)
  • Coreyle (German, archaic)
  • Koralia Κοραλια (Greek)
  • Korália (Hungarian)
  • Coralla, Corallo (Italian)
  • Koral קורל (Modern Hebrew)

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