Category Archives: Colour Names

Bruno, Bruna, Brune

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: German
Meaning: “brown.”
(BROO-no)

The name has a Latin sound but is actually of German origins. It is derived from the German word brun meaning “brown.” A follower of my blog, Capucine, informed me that the meaning of the name was originally a euphemism for a bear.

It has also been suggested that the name might be related to the Old High German, brunja, meaning, “breastplate.”

According to askoxford.com, the name has been borne by German royalty and nobility alike. It was also borne by a 10th-century saint and the son of Emperor Henry the Fowler as well as by the Saxon Duke who gave his name to the town of Brunswick (in German Braunschweig).

The name has also experienced popular usage in Spanish-speaking countries, French-speaking countries, as well as in Italy, Portugal and Poland.

Thanks to the influx of German immigrants at the beginning of the 20th century, it reached # 260 way back in 1915. The highest it has ever reached in the Social Security list. It currently comes in at a mere # 665 (2018).

His rankings in other countries are as follows:

  • # 14 (Catalonia, 2018)
  • # 21 (Spain, 2018)
  • # 29 (Galicia, Spain, 2018)
  • # 44 (Poland, 2018)
  • # 59 (Portugal, 2018)
  • # 115 (Italy, 2018)
  • # 377 (England & Wales, 2018)
  • # 476 (the Netherlands, 2018)
Other forms of the name include:
  • Bru (Catalan)
  • Bruneau (French)
  • Brun (German)
  • Brúnó (Hungarian)
  • Brunello (Italian)
  • Brunetto (Italian)
  • Brunino (Italian)
  • Brunone (Italian)
  • Broen (Limbergish)
  • Brunon (Occitanian/Polish)

The feminine form of Bruna is a popular name in Brazil, Italy and Croatia.

It is currently the 28th Most Popular Female Name in Spain (2018) and the 66th Most Popular Female Name in Portugal (2018), while its French form of Brune currently ranks in at # 363 in France (2018).

Other feminine forms include:

  • Brune (Dutch/French)
  • Brunonia (English), which is borne by author, Brunonia Barry
  • Brunelle (French)
  • Brunette (French)
  • Brunella (Italian)
  • Brunetta (Italian)
  • Brunina (Italian)
  • Brunona (Polish)

Its designated name day is July 12.

 

Updated by Sebastiane on 12/21/2019
Sources

Azur

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Bosnian
Meaning: “blue.”
(AH-zoor)

The name comes directly from the Bosnian word, azur, meaning, “blue.” It shares the same etymology with azure.

As of 2010, Azur was the 86th most popular male name in Bosnia & Herzegovina, (2010).

The national colours of Bosnia are blue (more azure), white and yellow, this fact may have inspired the name to become popular, perhaps representing patriotism.

The feminine form is Azura.

Mauro

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “dark-skinned.”

The name is a Spanish and Italian form of the Latin male name, Maurus, which may have been originally used as a nickname for someone with dark hair or a dark complexion.

The name was borne by numerous saints.

Currently, Mauro is the 58th most popular male name in Belgium, (2008). His rankings in other countries are as follows:

  • # 83 (Croatia, 2010)
  • # 336 (Netherlands, 2010)

Other forms of the name include:

  • Mawr Маўр (Belarusian)
  • Maur (Catalan/Czech/French/Polish/Slovak)
  • Mauro (Croatian/Dutch/German/Italian/Portuguese/Spanish)
  • Mór (Hungarian)
  • Maurus (Latin)
  • Mavr Мавр (Russian/Ukrainian)
  • Mauru (Sardinian)

A feminine form is Maura.

Alina

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The name could be of several different origins and meaning depending on the bearer of the name.

In Romanian, it is derived from the verb meaning “to sooth”. It even boasts its own masculine version: Alin.

It could also be a German and Dutch contraction of Adelina.

Other sources have popularly attributed it to be a form of the Arabic, Alia (lofty; sublime). In this case, the name appears in One Thousand and One Nights as the name of a beautiful princess.

In Belarusian, it is a name of pre-Christian origins, being derived from the old Slavic word алы (aly) meaning “scarlet.” In Russian, it has been linked with the names Albina, Aleksandra and Akulina, considered contracted forms. While in Bulgarian, it is considered a contracted form of Angelina.

In Italy, it is viewed as a contracted form of Rosalina or Pasqualina, the name can be typically found in Northern and Central Italy.

In Polish and Lithuanian, it has been suggested that the name may be derived from Alna, the Lithuanian name of a river which runs through northern Poland and Kaliningrad, (known in Polish as Łyna). Alna is from a medieval Baltic word meaning, “doe; female deer”, (compare modern Lithuanian elnias). Famed Polish playwright, Juliusz Słowacki seems to have popularized the name via his 1839 play, Balladyna.  Alina is murdered by her jealous sister Balladyna as they are picking raspberries.

It has also been suggested to be related to Halina, a Polish form of Galina.

Currently, Alina is the 4th most popular female name in German-speaking Switzerland, (2010). Her rankings in other countries are as follows:

  • # 4 (Liechtenstein, 2010)
  • # 17 (Russia, 2011)
  • # 28 (Germany, 2011)
  • # 30 (Austria, 2010)
  • # 38 (Slovenia, 2010)
  • # 39 (Romania, 2009)
  • # 78 (Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2010)
  • # 264 (United States, 2010)
  • # 323 (Netherlands, 2010)

Other forms of the name include:

  • Alina Аліна الينا (Arabic/Belarusian/Bosnian/Bulgarian/Czech/Dutch/Finnish/German/Hungarian/Italian/Latvian/Lithuanian/Polish/Romanian/Russian/Scandinavian/Serbian/Slovak/Slovene/Ukrainian)
  • Aliina (Finnish)
  • Aline (French)

Morena

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Maltese/Romansch/Spanish
Meaning: “brown; brunette.”
(moh-RAY-nah)

The name comes from a Latin element meaning “dark skinned; olive skinned; brownish” and in modern Spanish it is the word for brunette.

In Italian, morena is used to describe a particular form of sediment, composed of rock debris, carried in a glacier in its flow down stream. This is referred to in English as moraine. Its usage in Switzerland and Northern Italy may be in reference to the above, used as a sort of nature name.

The name is very popular among Romansch-speakers in Switzerland and is currently the 18th most popular female name in Argentina, (2009).

It is borne by Maltese pop singer, Morena (b.1984).

Alternately, the name could be from an Old Slavic source and is used as another name for the goddess Morana, (or Marzanna), in Slavic mythology. It is believe her name is linked with the Old Slavic word for frost.

A masculine form is Moreno, used in Italian, Portuguese, Maltese, Romansch and Spanish.

Lila

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The name can have several different etymologies, in Sanskrit it is derived from the word  लीला (lilá) meaning, “play; amusement; sport.” In Hinduisim, lila is used to describe how the Universe is a playground for the Gods.

In English it could be an abbreviated form of Delilah, sometimes also spelled Lilah.

In German, Finnish, French and Spanish, it may be taken directly for the word for purple or lilac.

Currently, Lila is the 105th most popular female name in France and the 155th most popular in the United States. In English it is pronounced (LIE-lah) but in all other languages (LEE-lah).

Source

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/name/lila-1

Sini, Sinikka

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Finnish
Meaning: “blue.”

Both names come directly from the Finnish word for “blue.”

The name is borne by Swedish Social Democrat politician, Sinikka Bohlin (b. 1947) as well as by Norwegian vocalist Sinikka Langland.

The designated name day in Finland is September 2nd.

To hear what both names sound like when pronounced by native speakers, consult this link: http://www.forvo.com/search/Sinikka/ and for Sini http://www.forvo.com/word/sini/

Azzurra

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Italian
Meaning: “blue.”
Pronunciation: http://www.forvo.com/word/azzurra#it

The name comes directly from the Italian feminine noun meaning “blue.”

It shares the same etymology with the English word azure and the Spanish word azul.

Another form of the name is Azzurrina.

Masculine forms are Azzurro and Azzurrino.

Sources

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/name/azzurra
  2. http://www.forvo.com/word/azzurra#it
  3. http://www.frasi.net/nomi/default.asp?nomepersona=Azzurra
  4. http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azzurra

Vaiva

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Lithuanian
Meaning: “rainbow.”
(VYE-vah).

The name is derived from the Lithuanian word vaivorykštė meaning “rainbow.”

In Lithuanian mythology, the name is borne by a minor goddess of the rainbow.

According to one account, the lightning god, Perkunas, was suppose to marry the goddess Vaiva on a Thursday, but she was kidnapped by the evil Velnias and Perkunas has hunted down Velnias ever since.

Another form of the name is Vaivora.

The designated name-day is June 18.

Sources

  1. http://people.tribe.net/dreamkeeper/blog/ea3bb428-113e-4b5e-8214-da6ea680bcff
  2. http://www.behindthename.com/namedays/lists/6.php