Meaning: “brook, stream; to stir up, to move, to urge.”
Gender: Female
Urdze is a rare Latvian feminine given name derived from the noun urga, meaning “stream” or “brook,” and the verb urdzēt, meaning “to stir up, to move, or to urge.”
Urdze was added to the official Latvian name calendar in 1966 and was first recorded in Vidzeme (Valmiera district) in 1975. It remains exceptionally uncommon — as of 2008, records note only one bearer of the name in Latvia.
The designated name-day is November 17th.
Source
Pauls Balodis, Latviešu personvārdu etimoloģiskās semantikas teorētiskais modelis un tā realizācija (Rīga: Latvijas Universitāte, 2008), p. 312. Available via the University of Latvia Digital Repository
The name derives from the Ancient Greek elements φύλλον (phyllon), meaning “leaf, foliage,” and δέχομαι (dechomai), “to receive” or “to welcome.”
In Greek mythology, Phyllodoce was one of the Nereids, the fifty sea nymph daughters of Nereus and Doris.
The name Phyllodoce was later adopted in scientific Latin for a genus of mountain heath plants (family Ericaceae), commonly called mountain heathers. These small evergreen shrubs, with delicate purple or pink flowers, grow in alpine and arctic regions.
With its lyrical cadence and mythological roots, Phyllodoce reflects the 18th–19th-century European taste for classical revival names, particularly those drawn from nature and mythology.
An Old Polish male name which is composed of the elements, nie (no), dać (to give), and mir/mirz (peace). Its designated name-day is November 16th. Another form is Niedamierz (February 14).
Niedamir survives mainly as a historical curiosity, noted in medieval records and occasionally revived in literature and fantasy contexts, such as the Witcher universe.
The feminine form is Niedomira, which celebrates its name-day on February 14th.
Milvydas is an ancient Baltic male name constructed from the elements, mīlas or mielas, meaning, “dear; kind; beloved,” and vydėti, “to see, to perceive,” or vydas “vision; sight.” Another form is Milvidas.
Male diminutive forms are: Milas, Milius, Vidas, Vidis, and Vydas.
The feminine counterparts are Milvida, Milvyda and Milvydė.
The designated name-day for Milvydė is November 11th.
Female diminutive forms are: Mila, Milė, Milva, Vyda, and Vydė.
The name is derived from the Arabic root ر ض ي (r-ḍ-y), meaning “to be pleased, content, or satisfied.” The form mardiyyah is the feminine passive participle.
It is a Qurʾānic name, appearing in Sūrat al-Fajr (89:28–30).
Gwawr is derived from the Welsh word for “dawn,” whereas Gwawrdydd is from the Welsh meaning, “daybreak.”
In Welsh legend and early medieval hagiography, Gwawr is mentioned as one of the daughters of Brychan Brycheiniog, a 5th-century Welsh chieftain and saint reputed to have had many saintly children.
A notable bearer is Welsh concert soprano, Gwawr Edward (b. 1984).
Gwawr continues to experience quiet usage in Wales, whereas Gwawrdydd remains rare, last experiencing rare use in the mid 1800s. Another rarer variation is Gwawrwen (fair dawn; white dawn; holy dawn).
Makeda (also rendered Makda or Mäkēda) is a female name of Ethiopian origin, best known as the traditional name of the Queen of Sheba in Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Geʽez sources.
In the Kebra Nagast (“The Glory of Kings”), Ethiopia’s national epic written in Geʽez, Makeda is portrayed as the Queen of Sheba who visits King Solomon in Jerusalem — a story paralleling the biblical and Qurʾānic accounts. Through her union with Solomon, she becomes the ancestress of the Solomonic dynasty, which ruled Ethiopia for centuries.
While the precise etymology of the name in Geʽez or Amharic is debated, some Ethiopian scholars interpret it as meaning “greatness, prominence, power,” and according to the original legend, it means “not thus,” from when she proclaimed it was thus not right to worship the sun but the God of the Hebrew Bible. Other sources relate it to the same root as the name Magdala (tower), and others have suggested it is a corruption of Candace.
In modern Ethiopia, Makda is a variation.
This name was given to Bob Marley’s daughter in 1981, which set off a trend of use in the African-American community.
Elide is an Italian feminine given name of uncertain origin that has been in use since medieval times, particularly in northern and central Italy. Although many modern name dictionaries list it as meaning “gift from the sun,” said to derive from Greek, this explanation appears to be a highly exaggerated etymology rather than a historically documented derivation, however, it is possible it derives from the Greek, Helios (sun).
According to several Italian onomastic sources, Elide may in fact derive from a toponymic origin — the ancient Greek place name Ilida (Ἦλις, Latin Elis), a region of the Peloponnese that was home to Olympia, site of the ancient Olympic Games.
Elidia is another Italian variation, which also appears in use in 18th-19th-century British and American records, while Elídia is the Spanish and Portuguese form.
There is Elidi, which has recently had rare use in the U.K., being given to 3 babies in 2024. It may be inspired by the similarly sounding and trending Elodie. Whereas, Elide has been given to 80 girls in Italy in 2024.
Elidia has the same rhythm and style as Olivia and it may appear to be a more elaborate form of Lydia at first glance, which may appeal to modern parents.
Other Italian forms include: Elida, Ellide, and Ellida, while the masculine forms are Elido and Elidio (the latter when spelled Elídio is Spanish and Portuguese).
Svirbutas is an ancient Lithuanian male name, attested in historical sources from the 13th–15th centuries. It belongs to the older layer of Baltic personal names that predate Christianization, often formed from archaic roots with meanings now obscure or lost.
It likely derives from the Lithuanian elements svir (to swing, to sway; to be of importance) and but (to be; to exist).
