Category Archives: Feminizations

Elvira

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gothic fashion portrait with dramatic lighting
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  • Origin: Visigothic
  • Meaning: Uncertain
  • Usage: Albanian, Bashkir, Bosnian, Catalan, Croatian, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, Galician, German, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Portuguese, Provençal, Romanian, Romansch, Russian, Scandinavian, Slovene, Tatar
  • Transcription: Эльвира (Russian)
  • Gender: Female
  • Eng (el-VY-rah); Sp (el-VEE-rah; el-BEE-rah)

A 19th-century gem and late 20th-century vampiric monikor, the name is of uncertain meaning but has its origins in Medieval Spain. It is likely of Visigothic origins, possibly derived from Gailawera or Geloyra, which stem from gails (happy) or (spear); and wers (friendly, agreeable, true).

It should be noted that Elvira (Latin: Iliberri or Iliberis) was an ancient Iberian and later Roman city located near present-day Granada, in Andalusia, southern Spain. However, in this case, it is likely derived from an Iberian source, meaning “new town.”

It was a popular female name among the royal family of Castille & León, producing two queens who bore this name, Elvira of Castile, Queen of León (965–1017) and Elvira of Castile, Queen of Sicily (c. 1100–1135).

It was later used in Mozart’s 1787 opera Don Giovanni (libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte), in which Donna Elvira is one of Don Giovanni’s former lovers. This likely popularized the name outside of the Iberian peninsula.

By the turn of the 20th-century, Elvira was not unknown in the United States, though never overly popular, it peaked at #254 in 1914, but fell out the Top 1000 by 1981, the same year Elvira, Mistress of the Dark came on the scene.

The real Halloween link began in 1981, when actress Cassandra Peterson created the camp-horror TV hostess Elvira, Mistress of the Dark for a Los Angeles late-night show (Movie Macabre).

Dressed in a plunging black gown with a beehive of jet hair, Elvira presented old horror movies with sardonic humor — blending Gothic sex appeal, irony, and B-movie kitsch.

The character became a pop-culture icon: Halloween TV specials, films, pinball machines, comic books, and even perfume lines immortalized her as the Queen of Halloween.

Outside the United States, this name does not have such associations. In Sweden, it has been among the top 100 girls’ since 1998 and peaked at #25 in 2014. As of 2024, it came in at #40.

It’s a popular name in the Balkans, even spinning off a male form of Elvir (Bosnian and Albanian).

Other forms include:

  • Elbire (Basque)
  • Elvíra (Czech/Slovakian)
  • Elviira (Estonian, Finnish)
  • Elvire (French)
  • Elwira (Polish, also an alternate Swedish spelling, Sorbian)
  • Elvīra (Latvian)
  • Elvyra (Lithuanian)

Obscure Lithuanian male forms are the Lithuanian, Elvyras; the Polish, Elwir(o), and the Italian Elviro.

Name days: August 25 (Austria), July 16 (Croatia), February 10 (Hungary), January 25 (Spain), March 1 (Sweden), November 21 (Slovakia), August 13 (Latvia).

Sources

Prosper, Prospera

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romantic couple walking in sunflower field
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  • Origin: Latin
  • Meaning: “prosper.”

The name Prosper comes from the Latin Prosperus, meaning “fortunate,” “successful,” or “prosperous.” It is derived from the Latin verb prōspere, “to cause to thrive, to be favorable,” ultimately from pro- (“forward”) and spēs (“hope”).

Saint Prosper of Aquitaine (c. 390–455) was a Christian writer and theologian who defended the doctrines of Saint Augustine. His influence made Prosper a well-established saint’s name in medieval France, especially in Aquitaine and Provence.

In France, the name was relatively common at the turn of the 20th-century, ranking in at #96 in 1902. In the USA, it never ranked as high but did make it to the Top 1000, peaking at # 886 in 1881.

Several other early Christian saints and bishops also bore the name.

The most famous literary bearer is Prospero, the magician-duke in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest (1611).

The Puritans occasionally used Prosper as well.

The designated name-days include: June 25th (Denmark & France), September 2nd (Croatia), June 23rd (Poland).

International Variations

  • Prósperu (Asturian)
  • Pròsper (Catalan)
  • Prosper (Croatian, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Polish, Scandinavian)
  • Prospert (French, rare)
  • Prospero (Italian)
  • Prosperino (Italian)
  • Prosperus (Latin)
  • Próspero (Portuguese, Spanish)

Female Forms

  • Prospera (Italian)
  • Prosperina (Italian)
  • Prospère (French)
  • Prospérine (French)
  • Próspera (Portuguese, Spanish)

Diminutives

  • Prop (English)
  • Sperry (English)
  • Rino (Italian)

Sources

Apollinaris, Apollinaire

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  • Origin: Greek Ἀπολλινάρις
  • Meaning: “of Apollo.”
  • Gender: Masculine

The name is from the classical Greek, related to Apollo. It was borne by several early Christian saints. The most notable being St. Apollinaris of Ravenna, a Syrian Christian missionary to Ravenna who was martyred there and thereafter became the city’s patron saint.

The French form Apollinaire is linked to the Franco-Polish poet, Guillaume Apollinaire. He lived from 1880 to 1918. He was born Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki.

Apolinary was common in Poland during the late 19th-century and early 20th-centuries, it is now obsolete. Diminutives include: Apolinek, Apollinek, Apolin, Apollin, Polin, Polinary, Polinarek, Polinaruś, Poli, and Polik.

In Italy, Apollinare was mainly used in the Romagna region due to it being the name of their patrion saint, but it has since fallen out of use.

Apollinaire sporadically appeared in the French Top 1000 between 1900 and 1926 and peaked at #403 in 1923. In 2024, 5 babies were given this name.

Neither its masculine form nor its feminine form had much usage in the English-speaking world. It was mostly used in families of Greek or Eastern European background during the late 19th-century.

Designated name-days include July 20th, July 23rd, and September 12th

Other forms include

  • Abolinarius أبونيناريوس (Arab Christian)
  • Apolighnar Ապողլինար (Armenian)
  • Apolinar Ապոլինար (Armenian, Spanish)
  • Apolinaris ܐܦܘܠܝܢܪܝܣ (Assyrian)
  • Apoliñari (Basque)
  • Apalinariy Апалінарый (Belarusian)
  • Appolinariy Апполінарій (Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Rusyn, Russian)
  • Apol·linar, Apol·linari (Catalan)
  • Apollinaris Ⲁⲡⲟⲗⲗⲓⲛⲁⲣⲓⲥ (Coptic, Dutch, English, German, Greek, Scandinavian)
  • Apollinari (Corsican, Sardinian)
  • Apolinár (Czech, Slovak)
  • Apollinaire (French)
  • Apolinario (Galician, Spanish)
  • Apo’linar აპოლინარ (Georgian)
  • Apollinarios Ἀπολλινάριος (Greek)
  • Apollinár (Hungarian)
  • Apollinare (Italian)
  • Apolenaris (Late Latin)
  • Apolinārs (Latvian)
  • Apolinaras (Lithuanian)
  • Apollinarju (Maltese)
  • Apolinary (Polish)
  • Apolinário (Portuguese)
  • Apolinàri (Provençal)
  • Pulinéra (Romagnol)
  • Apollinari (Romansh)
  • Apolinariu (Romanian)
  • Apolinarije (Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian)
  • Apołinare (Venetian)

Its feminine form is Apollinaria, which is also borne by an early Christian saint.

Other feminine forms include:

  • Abolinarya أبوليناريا (Arab Christian)
  • Apoghlinaria Ապողլինարիա (Armenian)
  • Apolinaria Ապոլինարիա, აპოლინარია (Armenian, Galician, Georgian, Polish, Romanian, Spanish)
  • Apolinaryja, Apolinariya,ܐܦܘܠܝܢܪܝܐ, Аполлинария (Assyrian, Bulgarian, Russian, Rusyn, Ukrainian)
  • Apalinariya, Apalinaryja, Апалінарія (Belarusian)
  • Apollinaria Ⲁⲡⲟⲗⲗⲓⲛⲁⲣⲓⲁ, Ἀπολλιναρία (Coptic, Corsican, German, Greek, Lithuanian, Romansh, Sardinian)
  • Apolinária (Czech, Portuguese, Sardinian, Slovak)
  • Apollinarie (French)
  • Apollinária (Hungarian)
  • Apolinārija (Latvian)
  • Apollinarja (Maltese)
  • Apolinària (Provençal)
  • Apolinarija (Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian)

A traditional feminine diminutive form in Russian is Polina. Polish diminutives include: Apollinka, Apollina, Apolinka, Apolla, Apola, Pola, Polka, Polcia, Polina, and Polinka. Modern Greek diminutives include: Nαρία (Naría), Πόλλα (Pólla), or Λίνα (Lina). Potential English short forms would include: Apple, Pollie, Polly, and Narey, or Narie.

Sources

Galileo, Galilea

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  • Origin: Italian
  • Meaning: “from Galilee.”

Both names are derive from the Latin galilaeus, meaning “from Galilee,” which ultimately derives from the Hebrew, גָּלִיל, meaning “district; circle; hill; knoll.” The name was used in honor of the place name in the New Testament.

Galileo was borne by Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), he in turn was named for an ancestor.

As of 2022, its feminine counterpart of Galilea appears in the U.S. Top 1000 Most Popular Female names, coming in at #731.

Male forms include:

  • Galilieu (Catalan)
  • Galilé, Galilie (French)
  • Galíleó (Icelandic)
  • Galileo (Italian, Spanish)
  • Galilaeus (Latin)
  • Galileusz (Polish)

Female forms include:

  • Galilée, Galilie (French)
  • Galilice (French, archaic)
  • Galilea (Italian, Spanish)

Sources

Nectar, Nectaire, Nectarius, Nectaria

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  • Origin: Greek
  • Meaning: “nectar.”

Nectar is the English form of the Greek Nektarios Νεκτάριος, which is derived from νέκταρ (nektar), meaning “nectar, the drink of the gods. Nectar is not a name that has ever been in common use in the English-speaking world, but since it is the name of several Eastern and Western Christian saints, the proper English male translation of the name would be Nectar; or it would have appeared thus in the calendar.

It was borne by St. Nectaire of Auvergne, a 4th-century Christian missionary to the Gauls in what is now the Massif Central region of France. According to Gregory of Tours, he was sent by Pope Fabian, along with his brothers, where he transformed a temple that was dedicated to Apollo on Mont Cornadore into a cathedral that still stands, and was subsequently beheaded by the local Gaulic chieftain. The commune of Saint-Nectaire in the Puy-de-Dôme department of France gets its name from him, as does the cheese of the same name; or the latter technically comes from the Marshal of Senneterre, which is a linguistic corruption of Saint-Nectaire.

Male forms include:

  • Nektarij, Nektary Нектарий (Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian)
  • Nectari (Catalan)
  • Nektarious (Coptic)
  • Nectarije (Croatian-Serbian)
  • Nectar (English)
  • Nectaire (French)
  • Nektari ნეკტარი (Georgian)
  • Nektarios Νεκτάριος (Greek)
  • Nettario (Italian)
  • Nectareus, Nectarius (Late Latin)
  • Nektārijs (Latvian)
  • Nektariusz (Polish)
  • Nectário (Portuguese)
  • Nectarie (Romanian)
  • Nectario (Spanish)

Feminine forms include

  • Nektaria, Nektarija Νεκταρία Nექთარიჯა Нектария (Coptic, Bulgarian, Georgian, Greek, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Ukrainian)
  • Nectarie (French)
  • Nettaria (Italian)
  • Nectaria (Latin, Romanian, Spanish)
  • Nectária (Portuguese)

A modern male Greek diminutive form is Nektary and the Russian diminutive form for both the male and female form is Nechka.

Sources

Ramz, Ramzi, Ramza, Ramzia

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  • Origin: Arabic
  • Meaning: “code, sign, mark.”

Ramiz رامز , Ramz رَمْز & Ramzi رمزي are Arabic masculine names which come directly from the Arabic word (ramz) رَمْز , meaning, “code, sign, mark, symbol, gesture.” It is ultimately derived from R-M-Z root in Arabic.

Ramzi appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 Most popular male names between 1973-1990 and peaked at #320 in 1982. It’s usage in the United States may have been influenced by immigrant groups who use the name (Southeastern European Muslims, Arab immigrants & Southeastern Asian Muslims immigrants), mixed with Anglophone parents who were probably using it as an alternate spelling for the English surname/place-name, Ramsey, which means “wild garlic island.” It should also be noted that during this time period, the use of Arabic names became especially popular among African-Americans.

The name is sometimes transliteration as Ramzy and I suppose in the English-speaking world it could also be transliterated as Ramsey.

The feminine forms are Ramza and Ramzia, spelled Ramziya Рәмзия in Central Asian & Turkic languages (Bashkir, Chechen, Tatar).

Other forms include:

Male

  • Remzi Ремзи (Albanian, Bosnian, Crimean Tatar, Turkish)

Female

  • Remzije (Albanian, Bosnian)
  • Remziye (Turkish)

Sources

Spyridon, Spyridoula

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Spyridon is a Byzantine Greek male name which comes directly from the Greek word σπυρίδιον (spyridion), meaning “basket.” Other sources suggest it is a hellenised form of the Latin Spiritus (spirit). It was popularized by a 4th-century Greek saint who played a key role in the Council of Nicaea. He is revered as the patron saint of Corfu and of potters.

His feast day is December 12.

Spiro & Spyros are its short forms, while Spyridoula is the femininine form.

Spiro was borne by the 39th vice president of the United States, Spiro Agnew (1918-1996).

It was borne by Spyridon Louis, the first modern Olympic Gold medalist in the 1896 Summer Olympics.

Forms and usage include:

  • Spiridoni, Spiridhoni (Albanian)
  • Asbiridun اسبيريدون (Arabic)
  • Spiridon Спиридон (Assyrian, Bulgarian, Croatian, German, Lebanese-Arabic, Romanian, Serbian)
  • Espiridió, Espiridó (Catalan)
  • Spyridon Σπυρίδων (Coptic, French, Greek)
  • Špiro (Croatian)
  • Spi’ridon სპირიდონ (Georgian)
  • Spiridione, Spiridone (Italian)
  • Spirydon (Polish)
  • Espiridão (Portuguese)
  • Spiridón (Russian)
  • Espiridón, Espiridión (Spanish)
  • Spyrydon Спиридон (Ukrainian)

Italian feminine forms include: Spiridiona & Spiridona.

Sources

Stylian, Stelian, Stylianos, Steliana

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  • Origin: Greek
  • Meaning: “piller.”

Stylianos Στυλιανός is derived from the Greek στῦλος (stylos) meaning, “pillar.” St. Stylian was a 6th-century Byzantine saint who was a hermit, known for his love of children, hence he is considered the patron saint of children.

His feast day is November 26th.

Masculine forms include:

  • Stilian Стилиан (Albanian, Bulgarian, Russian)
  • Estilià (Catalan)
  • Stylian Стиліан (English, German, Polish, Ukrainian)
  • Stélien (French)
  • Stilien,Stylien (French)
  • Stelios Στέλιος (Greek)
  • Stylianos Στυλιανός (Greek)
  • Estellio (Italian)
  • Stelio, Stellio (Italian)
  • Stiliano (Italian)
  • Stylianus (Late Latin)
  • Estiliano (Portuguese, Spanish)
  • Steliano (Portuguese, Spanish)
  • Stelian (Romanian)
  • Stilijan Стилијан (Serbian)
  • Stilijanos (Serbian)

Feminine forms include:

  • Stiliana Стилияна (Albanian, Bulgarian, Italian)
  • Stélie, Stéliane, Stélienne, Stylienne (French)
  • Stelia (Greek, Italian)
  • Styliani Στυλιανή (Greek)
  • Stellia (Italian)
  • Styliana (Polish)
  • Estiliana (Portuguese, Spanish)
  • Steliana (Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish)
  • Stilijana (Serbian)

A common short form in Greece for the female version is Stella.

Sources

Latif, Latifa

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  • Origin: Arabic لَطِيْف
  • Meaning: “gentle; kind; benevolent.”

Latif is a masculine given-name which comes directly from the Arabic word لَطِيف (gentle; kind; benevolent). In Islam, Al-Latif لطيف, (the Kind; the Benevolent) is one of the 99 names of Allah (God). It’s feminine form is Latifa.

Latif & Latifa are commonly used throughout the Islamic world.

A notable American bearer is actress & singer, Queen Latifah.

Other forms include:

  • Latıif (m), Latıifa (f) (Avar)
  • Lətif (m), Lətife (f) (Azeri)
  • Latheef, Latheefa (Dhivehi)
  • Latifah (f) (Indonesian, Malaysian)
  • Letîf (m), Letîfe (f) (Kurdish)
  • Lәtyjif (m), Lәtyjifә (f) (Tatar)
  • Letife (f) (Turkish)
  • Lateef لطیف, Lateefa(h) (Urdu)

Sources

Cassiel

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  • Origin: Hebrew פצִיאֵל
  • Meaning: “God is my cover; cover of God; speed of God.”
  • Gender: masculine
  • Pronunciation: Eng KAS-see-el

The name is derived from the Hebrew פצִיאֵל (Qaftzi’el), which is likely to mean “cover of God” or “God is my cover.” Other sources claim this name means “speed of God.” According to Judeo-Christian apocrypha, Cassiel is one of the 7 archangels. In the Hekhalot Rabbati, he is the one of the guardians of the doors of the 7th Heaven. In the Sefer Raziel, he is described as the Prince of Saturn, while in the Zohar, he is credited as being one of the aides of the Archangel Gabriel. He is also mentioned in the rabbinic literature of the Kabbalah. In Christian literature, he is mentioned in the grimoire known as The Sworn Book of Honorius as well as in Peter Abano’s Heptameron. He is mentioned in a Byzantine text regarding exorcism. He also appears as an archangel in mystic Islamic literature under the name كسفيائيل‎, Kasfiyāʼil.

Cassiel was traditionally believed to not have much input on the things that occur in the world of man, he was also considered the angel who presided over the death of kings as well as the angel of tears and the angel of temperance. His days are sometimes Thursday or Friday.

As a given-name, it has only come into occasional use the last century. It may have become even more widespread after its use in the Wim Wender 1987 film, Wings of Desire.

I could not find any strong evidence that this name has ever been used as a given-name among Jews or Muslims, though I don’t believe it is considered a forbidden name in either religion, more likely, the obscurity of the angel in the general populace of both religions has left the name obsolete.

Other forms include: Cafziel, Kafziel, Caphziel,Captiel, Cassael, Castiel, Qaspiel, Qephetzial, & Quaphsiel.

Forms in other languages include:

  • Kasfiyāʼil كسفيائيل‎, (Arabic)
  • Cassiël (Dutch)
  • Cassiel (English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish)
  • Qaftzi’el קפציאל‎ (Hebrew)

Feminine forms include: Kasiela, Casiel(l)a, Qaftiziela (modern Hebrew); Cassielle (English, French), Cassiëlle (Dutch), Casiele (Brazilian-Portuguese).

Sources