Ciarán, Kieran, Ciar

Posted on January 13, 2020 by Sebastiane

Ciaran

Origin: Gaelic
Meaning: “black”
Gender: masculine
Pronunciation: KEER-an; KYAIR-en, KEER

Ciarán is a diminutive form of Ciar, which comes directly from the Gaelic word for black.

In Irish legend, Ciar mac Fergus was the son of Fergus mac Róich. He was legendary progenitor of the Ciarraid people who gave their name to County Kerry in Ireland.

The name is borne by two Irish saints who are considered 2 of the 12 Apostles of Ireland, Ciarán the Elder & Ciarán the Younger (5th-century C.E.).

St. Ciarán the Elder was believed to be a contemporary of St. Patrick and he is often lauded as the first native born Irish saint. According to legend, his mother Liadán swallowed a star while pregnant with him and was told by the Druid priests that it meant her child would grow up to be an important man. Scholars debated whether he preceded Patrick in converting to Christianity or even met him or if he was converted by St. Patrick himself and was considered one of his helpers; the latter hypothesis seems to be the most popular.

St. Ciarán the Younger was the founder of the monastery in Clonmacnoise, one of the most important Christian centres in Medieval Ireland.

Other forms include:

Kenerin (Breton)
Kerne (Breton)
Kerrier (Breton)
Kyran (Breton)
Piran (Cornish)
Queranus (Dutch, Latin, German)
Keiran (English)
Kieran (English, French, Scots)
Kieron (English)
Queran (English, French, German)
Chiarain (French)
Kiéran (French)
Cirán (Galician)
Kiaran (German, Polish)
Ciarano (Italian, chyah-RAH-no, Spanish, syah-RAH-no, thyah-RAH-no)
Chierano (Italian, kyeh-RAH-no)
Ciaranus, Kyaranus (Late Latin)
Cieran (Welsh)

In the British Isles, Ciarán was quite popular in the early 2000s. In Northern Ireland, he peaked at #28 in 2000, #58 in 2004 in Scotland and #127 in England & Wales in 1997. In Ireland, it was the same case, peaking at #28 in 2002 and fell off the charts in 2017. Its anglicized form of Kieran currently ranks in the following countries:

#380 (England & Wales, 2018)
#496 (USA, 2018)

Its feminine form is Ciara

Sources

Etta

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Sebastiane

Etta Palm d’Aelders (1743-1799).

The name is usually a short form of any name that ends in the -etta element; in Swedish, it derives from Estrid (a form of Astrid).

An early documented use is borne by the Dutch feminist, Etta Palm d’Aelders (1743-1799).

It became a fairly popular independent given-name in Continental Europe and the United States by the mid 19th-century. The name appeared among the U.S. Top 100 Most Popular Female Names between 1880 & 1894, peaking at #72 in 1880. Etta fell out of the U.S. Top 1000 in 1966 and reappeared in 2017. She currently ranks in at #951 (2018), meanwhile, in England & Wales, she ranks in as the 298th Most Popular Female Name (2018).

It has been in use in German-speaking countries, the Netherlands, Italy & Scandinavia.

A notable American bearer was Etta James (borne Jamesetta 1938-2012).

Other forms include:

Ætta (Old Norwegian)
Ätta (Swedish)
Ette (Scandinavian)
Ettie/Etti (Scandinavian)
Ettan (Swedish)

Sources

Sapphire, Safira, Sapir,

Posted on January 3, 2020 by Sebastiane

220px-Point-19_carat_diamond_cut_blue_Yogo_sapphireCROP

From the name of the blue precious gem, many etymologists believe Sapphire is derived from the Greek σαπφειρος sappheiros meaning “sapphire” or “lapis lazuli,” which is ultimately derived from the Hebrew סַפִּיר (sappir), which is connected to an older Semitic word for “beauty.” Others believe it is derived from the Sanskrit Shanipriya (favoured by Saturn), as the sapphire is believed in Vedic astrology to be protective against the ill-affects of the planet Saturn.

As a female given-name, there is enough evidence to show that this name can trace its origins to ancient Israel. In the Bible, Shiphrah, which shares the same root with סַפִּיר (sappir), is the name of one of the midwifes who refused to kill Hebrew baby boys. Shiphrah also spawned the common Ashkanazi surnames of Shifrin & Shapiro.

Among Hellenized Jews, the form Sapphira would have been in use. It is the name of a woman in the Acts, in the New Testament, who is struck down by God for lying about money to the Holy Spirit.

The Ancient Greek Sappho has also been linked with the Sapphira, but the etymological connection to the former is highly disputed.

Safira, Zaffira and its masculine form of Zaffiro, experienced sporadic use in Medieval Northern Italy.

Sapphire, Sephare appear in use as a female name in Anglo-Norman England, albeit rare.

Sapphira experienced a minor revival among the Puritans in the 18th-century due to its Biblical connotations; the Puritans didn’t seem to care about the character of some Biblical figures when choosing a baby name.

In Portugal, Safira is currently the 100th Most Popular Female Name (2018).

Sapphire is currently the 361st Most Popular Female Name in England & Wales (2018).

Other forms include:

Sappheire Σαπφειρη (Biblical Greek)
Safir (Catalan)
Safira (Dutch/Polish/Portuguese/Scandinavian/Spanish)
Saphire (French)
Sephirine (French)
Saphira (German/Scandinavian)
Zafira (Hungarian/Spanish)
Saffira (Italian/Latin)
Sapfeira Σαπφείρα (Modern Greek)
Sapirit (Modern Hebrew, literally meaning “little saphire)
Zaffira (Medieval Italian)
Sapfíra Сапфи́ра (Russian)
Safina (Scandinavian)
Zefira (Polish)
Zefiryna (Polish)

Masculine forms include, Saffiro (Italian), Zaffiro (Italian) & Zafiro (Spanish).

Other associations include:

Saphira is the name of a species of white grapes.
Saphira is the name of the dragon in the series of fantasy books known as The Inheritance Cycle, by Christopher Paolini
Opel Zafira is the name of a make of car produced by General Motors and introduced in 2011
American poet Sapphire, (born Ramona Lofton in 1950)
Sapphire is the name of a fictional superheroine in the DC Comics Universe
Sapphire is the name of a character on the British web series, Corner Shop Show
Sapphire is the name of the main character on the British sci-fi series, Sapphire & Steele
Princess Sapphire is the main character in the manga series, Princess Knight
Sapphire, a 1959 British film recounting the murder of an eponymous mixed-race girl from the West Indies in London

The name is also borne by Dutch model, Safira de Wit (b.1989).

Sources

Igor, Ingvar

Posted on January 1, 2020 by Sebastiane

Ingvar is the modern Scandinavian form of the Old Norse, Yngvarr, meaning “Ing’s warrior.” It was introduced into Russia in the 10th-century by the Varangians, which gave the world the Igor form. The latter was borne by 2 Grand Princes of Kiev and has been a favorite in several Slavic countries since.

Currently, Igor is the 19th Most Popular Male Name in Poland (2018) and the 48th Most Popular in Moscow, Russia (2018), while in England he currently ranks quite low at #497 (2018).

Igor is used in Bulgarian, Czech-Slovak, Dutch, Estonian, German, Hungarian, Italian, Macedonian, Portuguese, Romanian, Serbo-Croatian, all modern Scandinavian languages, Slovene, & Spanish

Other forms of the name include:

Ihar Ігар (Belarusian)
Ingvar (Danish, Estonian, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish)
Iku (Finnish)
Ingwar, Ingwer (German)
Ingvaari (Greelandic)
Ingvâre (Greenlandic)
Ígor (Icelandic)
Inguarus (Late Latin)
Ingvars, Igors (Latvian)
Igoris (Lithuanian)
Ignar (Nowegian)
Yngvar (Norwegian)
Yngvarr (Old Norse)
Ingwar (Polish)
Inguar (Portuguese)
Ingor (Swedish)
Ihor Ігор (Ukrainian)

Sources

Alfred, Alfreda

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Sebastiane

alfred

The name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon, Ælfræd, which is composed of the Anglo-Saxon elements, ælf “elf” and ræd “counsel. A notable bearer was the 9th-century Anglo-Saxon King, Alfred the Great.

This is one of the few Anglo-Saxon male names to survive popular usage after the Norman Conquest and slowly waned in use by the end of the Middle Ages, but was revived in the 18th-century.

Though quite uncommon in the United States in this day and age, it has never completely fallen outside the U.S. Top 1000, and once reigned in the U.S. Top 100 between 1880 and 1951. Alfred peaked at # 32 in 1886.

Alfred reigns supreme in the Scandinavian charts, he is currently the 8th Most Popular Male Name in Denmark (2018), the 12th Most Popular in Sweden (2018) and the 42nd Most Popular in Norway (2018).

He ranks much lower in the U.K., coming in at #106 and even lower in France, ranking in as the 491st Most Popular Male Name (2018).

Alfie, a diminutive form which has become a much loved independent given-name in the U.K, is currently in England & Wales’ Top 100 Baby Names, ranking in at #15 (2018).

Alfred is used in Danish, Dutch, German, Polish, Norwegian & Swedish

Other forms of the name include:

Ælfræd (Anglo-Saxon)
Alfredo (Aragonese, Galician, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)
Alfredu (Asturian)
Alperda (Basque)
Aofred (Breton)
Alfréd (Czech, Hungarian, Slovak)
Alfie (English)
Alfre (Finnish, Greenlandic)
Alfreeti, Alfreetti (Finnish)
Alfrédos Αλφρέδος (Greek)
Alfreð (Icelandic)
Alfredino (Italian)
Alfredus (Late Latin)
Alfrēds (Latvian)
Alfredas (Lithuanian)
Al’fred Альфред (Russian)
Alfrid, Allfrid (Scandinavian)
Arfredu (Sicilian)

Its feminine form of Alfreda also has an Anglo-Saxon counterpart in the form of Ælfthryth. It was borne by a 9th-century English saint.

Alfreda is used in Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish & Swedish.

Other forms of the female form include:

Alfrede (Danish)
Elfrida (Croatian, Italian, Spanish)
Alfriede, Alfrieda (German, Scandinavian)
Elfriede (German)
Alfrède (French)
Alfrédie (French)
Alfride (French)
Alfreðsína (Icelandic)
Afreda (Italian)
Alfredina (Italian)
Alfrida (Scandinavian)

Sources

Nora, Nour

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Sebastiane

1024px-Dawn._Buryatia,_Russia

This multicultural name has recently experienced a revival. In European countries, the name stems from any name ending in the -nora element, such as Honora & Eleanora. In Arabic, Nora is a variant transliteration of Nurah, which is a strictly feminine version of the unisex Arabic name, Nur (light). Nur is used as one of the 99 attributes of Allah, al-Nur (the light).

The name was used by Henrik Ibsen for his main character in his play, A Doll’s House (1878).

Outside of East Asia, there isn’t a counry where Nora is unhead of or is not in use. Nora has been in out of the U.S. Top 100 since 1880! She currently ranks in as the 30th Most Popular Female Name in the United States. Her rankings in other countries are as follows:

#2 (Norway, 2018)
#10 (Netherlands, 2018)
#11 (Hungary, 2018)
#14 (Switzerland, 2018)
#15 (Denmark, 2018)
#20 (Belgium, 2018)
#23 (Austria, 2018)
#26 (Catalonia, Spain, 2018)
#28 (Sweden, 2018)
#38 (Canada, BC, 2018)
#47 (Spain, 2018)
#64 (Norah, Netherlands, 2018)
#79 (Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2018)
#84 (Norah, Canada, BC, 2018)
#85 (Italy, 2018)
#119 (France, 2018)
#140 (Norah, United States, 2018)
#184 (Norah, France, 2018)
#197 (England & Wales, 2018)
#283 (Norah, England & Wales, 2018)

Its Dutch version of Noor also ranks high in several popularity charts. This name is also used by Muslim families as a variation of Nur. Her rankings in other countries are as follows:

#10 (Netherlands, 2018)
#25 (Belgium, 2018)
#279 (England & Wales, 2018)
#311 (France, 2018)

Noortje is another Dutch version which currently ranks in as the 203rd Most Popular Female Name in the Netherlands.

Other forms of its European version include:

Nora Нора Νόρα (Bulgarian, Greek)
Noera (Dutch)
Noor (Dutch)
Noortje (Dutch)
Norah (Dutch, English, French)
Nonie (English)
Noreen (English, Irish)
Noora (Estonian, Finnish)
Nóra Но́ра (Faroese, Hungarian, Irish, Russian)
Nuura (Finnish, Scandinavian)
Nóirín (Gaelic)
Norina (Italian, Provençal, Romansch)
Norá (Sami)
Norea (Scandinavian)
Norena (Scandinavian)
Noria (Scandinavian)
Norita (Spanish, Scandinavian)

The Arabic Nur is traditionally a unisex name which is popularly used in many Islamic countries. Its Maghrebi form of Nour currently ranks in the following popularity charts for girls:

#40 (Belgium, 2018)
#48 (Catalonia, Spain, 2018)
#48 (France, 2018)
#76 (Spain, 2018)
#137 (Italy, 2018)
#197 (Netherlands, 2018)

Nur is currently the 87th Most Popular Female Name in Bosnia & Herzegovina (2018).

Other forms of the Arabic version include:

Noora, Nura (Arabic, strictly feminine)
Noura (Maghrebi Arabic, strictly feminine)
Núria (Catalan)
Nor (Malay, unisex)
Nuru (Swahili, strictly feminine)

Sources

Frida

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Sebastiane

Frida_Kahlo,_by_Guillermo_Kahlo

The name is either derived from the Old Norse fríðr (beautiful; loved) or the German fried (peace, joy), (which is also the same case in Yiddish). In modern Swedish, Danish & Norwegian, the name may also be associated with the word frid, which also means peace.

The name has been imported into several cultures. It is not only used in Northern Europe, but has experienced usage in Anglophone, Francophone & Hispanophone countries. A notable bearer from the latter was Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo (1907-1954).

It is currently the 7th Most Popular Female Name in Norway & the 19th Most Popular in Denmark (2018).

In the United States, it currently comes in as the 693rd Most Popular Female Name.

The Frida form is used in the following languages: Danish, Dutch, Czech/Slovak, Estonian, Faroese, Finnish, Hungarian, German, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Yiddish

Other forms include:

Fritha (Anglo-Saxon)
Fryd (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish)
Freda (English, German, Spanish)
Frieda (Estonian, German)
Friida (Finnish)
Riitu (Finnish)
Friede (German)
Friedel, Friedl (German, Yiddish)
Fríða FREE-thah (Icelandic, Old Norse)
Fríður FREE-thoor (Icelandic)
Frid (Norwegian, Swedish)
Fryda (Polish, Norwegian, Swedish)
Freyda, Frejda (Yiddish)

Sources

Viggo, Vigga

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Sebastiane

Viggo is a popular Scandinavian male name with a long history of use. It may be a diminutive offshoot of Victor, or be related to an Old Norse element, vígr (to fight). Another theory links it to the Icelandic Vöggur, which is derived from the Old Norse element vöggr, “one who lies in a cradle.” It has also been linked with the Swedish word vigg “lightning.”

A notable bearer is Danish-American actor, Viggo Mortensen (b. 1958).

Viggo is currently the 24th Most Popular Male Name in Denmark (2018), the 48th Most Popular Male Name in Sweden (2018); and the 352nd Most Popular Male Name in the Netherlands.

Other forms include:

Vigge (Danish, Swedish)
Wigand, Wiegand (German)
Wiggo (German, Swedish)
Viggó (Icelandic)
Vygantas (Lithuanian)
Vígi (Old Norse)
Viggu (Sami)
Vigg/Wigg (Swedish)
Wigge (Swedish)

Its feminine form of Vigga has also made its appearance in the Nordic charts, which is currently the 48th Most Popular Female Name in Denmark (2018).

An obscure Danish feminine form is Viggoline.

Sources

Yuna, Jeune

Posted on December 26, 2019 by Sebastiane

Chapelle_Sainte-Jeune_de_Plounévez-Moëdec_-_01

The name is of Breton origins, but its exact meaning is uncertain.

According to legend, it was the name of a 7th-century saint who emigrated from Wales to Brittany with her brother Envel. Each sibling built their own monastery just a couple of kilometres away from each other. They took a vow to never physically see each other again, with the one condition that Yuna would ring the bell of her church each morning so her brother would know she was still alive and well. One day, Envel did not hear the bell toll and he knew his sister had died. St. Jeune or Yuna is considered the patron saint of clog-makers.

Her chapel in Plounévez-Moëdec still stands.

Yuna is currently the 135th Most Popular Female Name in the Netherlands (2018) and the 270th Most Popular in France (2018).

Its Gallicized form is Jeune but its never received much usage in France. Another form is Jûna.

Sources

Albert, Alberta

Posted on December 24, 2019 by Sebastiane

Albert is a Norman contracted form of Adalbert that was introduced into England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Though there is an Anglo-Saxon form of Æðelberht, it was completely usurped by its Norman version.

The name fell out of use in England by the end of the 13th-century but was revived in the 19th-century when Queen Victoria of England chose a German prince by the name of Albert to be her husband. Speaking of which, Albert was a much-loved name among German royalty.

Between 1880-1967, Albert remained in the Top 100 Most Popular Male Names. He peaked at #14 in 1910. As of 2018, he currently ranks in as the 452nd Most Popular Male Name.

Albert is currently quite popular in Europe. These are his rankings in the following countries:

#37 (Denmark, 2018)
#55 (England & Wales, 2018)
#84 (Norway, 2018)
#422 (Netherlands, 2018)

Albert is used in Albanian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Icelandic, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Slovakian, Slovenian & Ukrainian.

Other forms include:

Alberzh (Breton)
Aalt (Dutch)
Aalbert (Dutch)
Aalbertus (Dutch)
Aelbrecht (Dutch)
Albercht (Dutch)
Alberd (Dutch)
Albertus (Dutch, Late Latin)
Appe (Dutch)
Brecht (Dutch)
Elbert (Dutch, German)
Ethelbert (English)
Alpertti (Finnish)
Albertin (French)
Aubert (French)
Aubertin (French)
Abbe, Abe (Frisian)
Ailbeart (Gaelic)
Alberte (Galician)
Albertos (Galician)
Alberti ალბერტი (Georgian)
Albrecht (German)
Albertinello (Italian)
Albertino (Italian)
Alberto (Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)
Alperto (Italian)
Ulberto, Ulperto (Italian)
Albaer (Limburgish)
Baer, Bèr (Limburgish)
Alberts (Latvian)
Albertas (Lithuanian)
Albertet (Occitanian)
Olbracht (Polish)

Its feminine for of Alberta was borne by Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (1848-1939), daughter of Queen Victoria & Prince Albert. The Canadian province was named in her honour.

Alberta is used in Albanian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovakian, Slovenian, Spanish & Ukrainian.

Alberte is currently the 12th Most Popular Female Name in Denmark. Alberte (ahl-BARE-teh) is also used in French, but pronounced differently from its Danish counterpart (AHL-BAIRT). Other feminine forms include:

Alberthe, Albertha (Danish, Swedish)
Albertina (Dutch, German, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish)
Brechtje (Dutch)
Bertina (English, Hungarian, Italian)
Albertine (French, German, Danish, Norwegian)
Auberte (French)
Aubertine (French)
Bertine (French)
Abelke (Frisian)
Albertin (Hungarian)

Sources

Legitimate Baby Names

names that are not made up and have had a history

Category Archives: Dutch Names

Ciarán, Kieran, Ciar

Etta

Sapphire, Safira, Sapir,

Igor, Ingvar

Alfred, Alfreda

Nora, Nour

Frida

Viggo, Vigga

Yuna, Jeune

Albert, Alberta