Gender: Feminine
Origin: Hungarian
Meaning: “purple.”
(BEE-bore-kaw)
The name is derived from the Hungarian word bíbor meaning, “purple.”
Other forms include Bíbora and Bíbor.
The designated name-day is April 6.
Sources
Bíborka
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Category Archives: Colour Names
Rose
Gender: Feminine
Origin: English/French
The name was originally a Norman form of the Germanic name Rohese/Roese, which was composed of the elements hrod meaning “fame” and heid meaning “kind, sort, type.”
The name was revived in the 19th-century by which time it was associated with the flower. In the floral case, the word is derived from the Latin rosa.
Consequently, it is also the word for pink in several European languages.
In the United States, Rose is probably one of the most common middle names given to baby girls, but as a first name, it is rather unusual. Currently, Rose only ranked as the #343rd most popular female name, (2008).
Her rankings in other countries are as follows:
- # 92 (Australia, 2008)
- # 91 (France, 2006)
In the Netherlands, Rosa was the 89th most popular female name (2008); and in Ireland, its vernacular form of Róisin ranked in as the 28th most popular female name, (2008).
Other forms of the name include:
- Arrosa (Basque)
- Ruža (Bosnian/Croatian/Slovene: common diminutive is Ružica)
- Rozenn (Breton)
- Roza Роза (Bulgarian/Croatian/Serbian/Slovene/Russian)
- Ruzha Ружа (Bulgarian/Macedonian)
- Rosa (Catalan/Dutch/English/Finnish/Galician/German/Italian/Portuguese/Romanian/Scandinavian/Spanish)
- Rosen (Cornish)
- Růže (Czech)
- Roos (Dutch/Limburgish/Estonian: ROWS)
- Roosje (Dutch: originally a diminutive form, occasionally used as an independent given name. RO:-shə)
- Rohesia (English/Latin: Latinized version of Rohese. ro-HEE-zee-uh; ro-HEE-zhuh)
- Rose (English/French/Scandinavian)
- Royse (English: a Medieval Cognate, the name was actually a feminine given name, but due to its associations with Royce, it is often mistaken for a male name)
- Roosa/Ruusa/Ruusu (Finnish)
- Roseline (French)
- Roselle (French)
- Rosette (French)
- Rosine (French)
- Róza (Hungarian)
- Rozina (Hungarian)
- Rozita (Hungarian)
- Rózsa (Hungarian: RO;jaw: Rózsi is the diminutive)
- Rós (Icelandic)
- Róis/Róise (Irish-Gaelic)
- Róisin (Irish-Gaelic: ro-SHEEN; ROSH-een; ROW-sheen)
- Rosella/Rossella (Italian)
- Rosellina/Rossellina (Italian)
- Rosetta (Italian)
- Rosina (Italian)
- Rosinella (Italian)
- Rožė (Lithuanian: ROO-zhey)
- Róža (Polish: ROO-zhah)
- Rosita (Spanish: originally a diminutive form, occasionally used as an independent given name)
- Rhosyn (Welsh)
- Raisa (Yiddish: RYE-zah)
- Raisel (Yiddish)
Common Italian compound names include: Annarosa, Mariarosa, Rosangela, Rosanna and Rosamaria.
Common English/French compounds are: Rosanne, Rosemary and Rosemarie.
A common English pet form is Rosie.
Italian masculine forms include: Roso, Rosello, Rosino and Rosetto.
Vernacular forms
These are names found in other languages that literally mean “rose” but which are also not related to the Latin/Germanic form of Rose/Rosa.
- Qızılgül (Azeri)
- Gul (Farsi)
- Vardo (Georgian)
- Vered וֶרֶד (Hebrew)
- Mawar (Indonesian)
- Kolab (Khmer)
- Kulap (Thai)
- Gül (Turkish)
- Hòng (Vietnamese)
- Huòng (Vietnamese: can also mean pink)
An Armenian masculine form is Vartan.
The name is also borne by a few Catholic saints.
The designated name-days are: August 23 (France), July 2 (Sweden).
Sources
Halliki, Helliki
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Estonian
Meaning: “greyish; tender.”
(HAHL-lee-kee; HELL-lee-kee)
The names could either be related or possibly be of two completely origins, Halliki could be a derivative of the Estonian word hallikas meaning “greyish” and Helliki could be used as an alternative. Likewise, Helliki could be a derivative of the Estonian word hellik meaning “soft; tender.”
In Estonia, both names share the same name-day, March 3.
Sources
Livia, Liviana, Livy
Origin: Latin
Meaning: debated
(LIV-ee-uh); (liv-ee-AH-nah)
Eng Masc (LIVE-ee)
The name Livius is a Roman family name, which has two possible meanings. One is that it is from the Latin, liveo, meaning, “to envy” and another possibility is that it is from the Latin, lividus, meaning, “blue.”
Both the masculine and feminine forms were borne by notable personages.
It was borne by Titus Livius, known in English as Livy, a famous Roman historian.
It was also borne by Livia Drusilla (circ. 14 CE), a Roman Empress and third wife of Augustus.
Currently, Livia ranks in as the 948th most popular female name in the United States, (2008). Her rankings in other countries are as follows:
- # 95 (Hungary, 2008)
- # 182 (the Netherlands, 2009)
- # 86 (Sweden, 2009)
Other forms of the feminine include:
- Lívia (Catalan/Portuguese)
- Livie (Czech: LEEV-yeh)
- Livia (Czech/Dutch/English/German/Hungarian/Italian/Romanian/Scandinavian/Slovak/Spanish)
- Livie (French: lee-VEE)
- Liviana (Italian)
- Livilla (Latin: used as a diminutive form in Ancient Rome)
- Liwia (Polish)
- Livija (Slovene)
Masculine forms include:
- Livi (Catalan)
- Livije (Croatian/Slovene)
- Livy (English)
- Live (French)
- Líviu (Extramadurian)
- Livio (Italian/Spanish)
- Liviano (Italian)
- Livianus (Latin)
- Livius (Latin)
- Līvijs (Latvian)
- Livijus (Lithuanian)
- Liviu (Romanian)
- Liwiusz (Polish)
- Lívio (Portuguese)
The designated name-days are February 12 (Hungary) and February 20 (Slovakia).
Sources
- http://www.behindthename.com
- www.askoxford.com
- www.roman-emperors.org
- Tacitus Annals. 1.3; 1.6. (The Works of Tacitus tr. by Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb 1864-1877),
Bardhyl
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Albanian
Meaning: “white star.”
The name is composed of the Albanian elements, bardhë, meaning “white” and yll meaning “star.”
The name is borne by an ancient Illyrian king, who ruled from 385-358 B.C.E.
A Latinization is Bardyllus
Albina
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “white; bright.”
Eng (al-BYE-nah)
The name has very ancient roots as it was borne by the Etruscan goddess of the dawn, the name is linked to the Latin word albus meaning “white; bright” and it is also linked to the modern French word (aube)meaning “dawn” and Spanish word (alba) “dawn.” The Latin masculine version is Albinus. Interestingly enough, Albina also coincides with the Romanian word for “bee.”
Though it has Latin roots, the name seems to be especially common in Central Asian countries, such as Chechnya and Kyrgyzstan, and is common among the Tartar populations of Russia.
The name is also used in Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, in Spanish-speaking countries and in Portuguese speaking countries.
It is borne by Chechen Human Right’s Activist, Albina Digaeva (b.1978), it is also borne by Russian-Tartar olympic biathlete, Albina Akhatova (b.1976) and Tajik Olympic Archer, Albina Kamaletdinova (b.1969).
It was also borne by a 3rd century Christian martyr.
The designated name-day is usually December 15.
Other forms include:
- Albína (Czech/Slovak)
- Albina Альби́на (Russian)
A Russian diminutive form is Alya and Slovenian diminutives are Bina, Binca (BEENT-sah); Albinca.
Masculine forms are:
- Albin (Czech/English/Polish/German/Norwegian/Swedish)
- Aubin (French)
- Albinus (Latin)
- Albín (Slovakian)
Zeltīte
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latvian
Meaning: “aureate; to have a gold like colour.”
(zel-TOOT-eh).
The name is derived from the Latvian word Zeltīts meaning “aureate” or “to have a gold like colour.” Its designated name-day is November 21.
Viola, Violet
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Botanical Name
Eng: VIE-lət, VIE-ə-lət. vaɪˈoʊlə, VIE-oh-LUH
One of the very few floral name to have been in usage since the Middle Ages, Violet is the English form of the French Violette, which was introduced to the English speaking world via the Normans. In England, Violet wasn’t very common till the 19th-century, it has been in prevalent usage in Scotland since the 15oos.Viola is a latinate form that was common in the Middle Ages and appears in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
Violette was derived from the Old French Violaine which was from the Latin Viola which in itself is derived from the Greek ion and viera meaning “weaving; flexible; sinous.” Violet is also synonymous with the colour purple in most languages and is a shade of purple in English.
Both names have been in and out of vogue in the United States since the 1880s, its peak year was 1910 where it came in at # 79. The name fell out of the top 1000 by the 1960s. In recent years, the name has become more and more fashionable, as of last year, she stands as the 184th most popular female name, meanwhile in Canada, she comes in even higher at # 71.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner named their eldest daughter Violet.
Usually the designated name-day is October 30. The violet is an autumnal flower, depending on the species.
Other forms of the name include:
- Vjollca (Albanian)
- Violeta (Bulgarian, German, Lithuanian, Romanian, Portuguese, Spanish)
- Viola (Czech, English, German, Hungarian, Italian, Latin, Spanish, Swedish)
- Jolana (Czech/Slovak)
- Viol (Danish)
- Jolanda (Slovene/Dutch)
- Fjóla (Faroese/Icelandic)
- Viula (Finnish)
- Violette (French)
- Iolana (Hawaiian)
- Jola/Jolán/Jolánta (Hungarian)
- Viole (Italian)
- Violetta (Italian)
- Violanta (Latin/Italian)
- Violė/Vijolė (Lithuanian)
- Iolanda/Violante (Medieval Spanish/Portuguese forms)
- Violaine/Yolande (Old French)
- Jolanta (Polish: Jola is the diminutive)
- Wiola/Wioleta/Wioletta (Polish)
- Vióla/Violétta (Russian/Ukrainian/Icelandic)
- Vijoleta (Slovenian)
- Yolanda (Spanish)
There are two Italian male forms: Violo and Violetto
Griselda
Origin: German/Italian/Portuguese/Spanish
Gender: Feminine
Meaning: “grey battle; grey gravel.”
(grih-ZEL-dah)
The name is either derived from the Germanic gris meaning “grey” and hild meaning “battle” or the Germanic gries meaning “gravel, stone.” The name was used in folklore as a sort of euphemism for a patient and obedient woman. In the dark tale written by Italian poet Boccaccio, it is the name of the wife of a nobleman who is told by husband that her children must die. She obeys, but does not realize that she is being tested by her husband, who has taken the children away and hid them in another town, rather than kill them. Griselda’s husband then tells her that he must divorce her and marry another woman, when he introduces her to the “new wife” (a twelve year old little girl who is actually her daughter), Griselda wishes them well and at this her husband reveals that all he had put her through had been a test. The same tale is retold in Chaucer’s The Clerk’s Tale, in which case, Griselda is treated as an allegory for the Biblical Job. Charles Perrault took the same tale and wrote Patient Griselda. There was a play based off of the French version entitled Patient Grissel (1599). There are several Italian opera’s based off the story including La Griselda by Alessandro Scarlatti (1721). The name is used in Italy, Spain and was common in German speaking countries but is now considered dated. Other forms of the name include:
- Grizelda (Czech/Slovak/Hungarian)
- Selda (Dutch contraction)
- Grissel (English)
- Griselde/Grisold (German)
- Zelda (German/English contraction)
- Grizeldisz (Hungarian)
- Grizel (Scottish)
Satineh
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Armenian
Meaning: “amber.”
(sah-TEE-neh).
The name is derived from the Armenian word sat meaning “amber” with the feminine suffix-ineh. Other forms include Satenik and Satik. Diminutive forms are Sato, Satin and Saten.